Dancing on Thin Ice
by Queen Isabelle
Summary: Sent to a performing arts school in Europe at age eight, it's been years since Elsa's seen her sister, Anna. When a threat on Elsa's life is made, she should be terrified, but she's also ecstatic: she finally gets to go home. But as the death threats continue and Elsa grows closer with hockey player Jack Frost, a dark secret from Elsa's past may come to light and ruin it all.
1. A Little Bit of You

**And here's the multi-chapter fic I promised! Some dark themes will be introduced later, so the rating might go up, but I will definitely be putting warnings in the chapters and nothing is going to be descriptive or anything (cause I'm not comfortable with writing that). As for this chapter, it's kind a prologue-y sort, with a POV from Anna. (POVs will mostly be from Elsa, recurring from Jack and Anna.)**

 **Some background info: the story is set in modern day, in Burgess, MA (it was going to be Burgess, VA, but there is no NAHL teams anywhere near Virginia so I decided to try and stick with the league.) (I'm gonna be doing a lot of research on figure skating and hockey for this, so please know that I AM TRYING!)**

 **Anna is 18, Jack is 20, Elsa is 20 (I shortened their age gap by a few months; she'll be turning 21). More characters from the other fandoms will be introduced soon (i.e. ROTBTD), but this was really setting up the story that's gonna happen.**

 **Also, Anna and Elsa's parents names come from the Broadway show (which is incredible, btw. I'm writing this from the grave because I died of happiness after seeing it.)**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoy this opening chapter!**

 **~Isabelle**

 **(Disclaimers: I got the cover image off of Google Images. Credit goes to that beautiful photographer. And obvs, I don't own Frozen, Disney, ROTG, etc. Just my ideas.)**

* * *

 _A little bit of you, a little bit of me_

 _A part that loves to dream_

 _A part that swings from a tree._

 _A little like me, a little like you,_

 _A part that's nice_

 _A part that's naughty too._

~A Little Bit of You, Frozen on Broadway

* * *

Chapter One: A Little Bit of You

Anna Winters was not very good at ice-skating. The skates were never the right size, the air was too cold, and the ice was too slippery, as she liked to tell people. She constantly fell and often took many innocent bystanders along with her. She'd taken to wearing a bright yellow t-shirt with the word "HAZARD" written in bold, black letters any time she got within twenty feet of a rink. Yet, somehow, here she was on an ice rink, once again, holding on to the side for dear life.

"Anna, you might find that you could get better if you let go of the wall every once in a while." Her best friend, Jackson Overland Frost—Jack to his friends—laughed as he skated literal circles around the strawberry-blonde.

Anna scoffed. "Oh, please, you've seen me attempt to skate before. You just want me to make a fool of myself on the ice. Again." Jack stopped suddenly, a look of offended shock on his face, complete with a hand over his heart.

"How dare you question my motives. I'm just trying to help my dearest friend get her frozen sea legs," he said.

"Ha ha. You're so funny." Anna glared at him as he began to skate backwards while she struggled to keep up.

"Well, I wasn't voted 'Class Clown' for nothing."

"I still think 'Most Likely to Live in a Van Next to the River' was a more apt superlative for you."

"Harsh, Anna. Harsh."

"Ugh," Anna groaned. "I don't understand why you made me come here! This place is horrible!"

"Didn't you and your sister used to come here all of the time when you were younger?" Jack asked. He rushed forward as Anna's legs went out from under her and managed to steady her before she hit the ice.

"Thanks," Anna murmured gratefully, brushing a pigtail back behind her shoulder. "And that was a long time. Like, before she left to go become a professionally trained figure skater in Europe." Anna sighed, thinking about her elder sister, Elsa. The two hadn't seen each other in over a decade, Elsa being too busy training in Norway to come back home and Anna apparently being too much of a distraction to go there, according to their mother and father. The only saving grace was e-mail, as old-fashioned as that sounded. The sisters messaged each other daily, updating the other on their lives. (Anna loved to hear about the techniques that Elsa learned, while Elsa claimed that Anna's boring high school life was much more entertaining.) They weren't able to communicate simultaneously, thanks to the time distance and Elsa's busy schedule, but Anna knew how much her sister missed her.

"But it was still fun?" Jack added, snapping Anna back to the conversation at hand.

"Elsa was what made it fun. She'd hold my hands and dance me around the ice. It was the best thing ever," Anna said wistfully. Jack smirked.

"Held your hands, huh?" he asked. Anna realized her mistake.

"Wait, Jack, no!" she yelled as he grabbed ahold of her and pulled her into the middle of the rink. Anna continued to shriek as Jack dragged her across the ice, passing giggling children and elderly couples. She imagined what they looked like to these people: an attractive young man who glided across the ice with an ease that rivalled the winter spirit he was named after, and an inelegant, braided pig-tailed weirdo who looked like an actual fish out of water.

"Jack Frost, knock it off this second!" she shrieked as he began to make another lap. Jack laughed and threw her a mischievous glance before shrugging.

"If you insist," he said, letting go of her hands as he swung her in a perfect arc.

"Not like that!" she cried, her voice probably lost in the roaring laughter from her ex-best friend and the audience they had gathered. Anna screwed her eyes shut as she flew across the surface, bracing herself for the crash against the wall and cursing her taste in friends. But the impact was much softer than she expected and was followed by a breathless _Oomph!_ as she and her barrier fell to the ground.

Anna carefully opened her eyes, her head pillowed on what appeared to be a guy's rather strong chest. She looked up to see her savior's surprised face staring at her.

"Oops!" Jack called from across the rink. "Sorry, Kristoff!"

"Seriously? You're not concerned about me at all?" Anna yelled back at her friend, shaking her head disbelievingly. Then, she remembered that she was still sprawled across the goalie for the Burgess Guardians and scrambled to get off of his chest. "Oh, God, I am so sorry, Kristoff!"

Kristoff chuckled as he sat up on the ice. Anna felt her face burn red at the look of amusement he gave her.

"It's fine, Anna. I saw Jack throwing you around the rink. Are you okay?" he said, a hint of concern in his words.

"Oh, me? I-I'm fine. Psh, totally fine. Oh, are you okay?" Anna asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Kristoff got to his feet and held his hand out to Anna, who carefully took it and managed to stand up on wobbly legs. "Would you like some help getting over to the bleachers? You look like you would like to be done for the day. And we kind of need the rink for practice."

"Yeah, that would be really nice of you," Anna said, clutching tightly to his arm so as not to fall again. He managed to skate her safely to the side where she practically fell onto the cold metal. Anna wasted no time in ripping off her skates, swearing that she would never set foot on the ice again.

"You know, Anna?" Kristoff spoke in the middle of Anna's ranting. She froze and looked sheepishly up at him.

"Yeah?"

"We have skating lessons, if you'd like. I'm sure Jack's told you about them, but I'm going to start teaching the older people who come in if you'd like to learn from someone who isn't as prone to prank you."

"Oh. Huh." Anna paused, looking up at Kristoff who now had a tinge of red on his cheeks, probably from the cold. "I don't know. I mean, I'm sure learning from you would be nice, but I'm a little apprehensive about the whole 'skating' part."

Kristoff laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, just think about it. The first session is coming up in a few weeks. And even if you wait till the day it starts, North would gladly let you sign up."

Anna smiled. "I will. Think about it, I mean. Thanks, Kristoff."

"No problem. I, uh, gotta go. Practice." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. Anna could see Jack again, now in his hockey gear, batting a puck around, while a few other members of the team began to get out on the ice. Anna nodded, and Kristoff turned around and skated off.

Anna finished taking off her skates and stood up to walk over to her bag a few rows up. Jack caught her attention on the stage and made a heart with his hands in a silent ask for forgiveness; she flipped him off with both hands in response. The sound of his laughter followed her as she grabbed her bag and left the skating rink.

* * *

"How was skating today?" Anna's mother, Iduna, asked her daughter. Anna groaned and stabbed at her mashed potatoes.

"Horrible. I can barely stand on the ice. And then Jack took me for a joyride around the rink, which was not fun," Anna added. Agnarr, her father, choked on his laughter as he went to take a drink of his wine. Anna glared at her father as he wiped at his mouth, eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Any casualties, dear?" he asked.

"Just one. I ran into Kristoff, but you know that guy—he's built like a wall. But he helped me get off the rink and then told me about the lessons that they're offering in a few weeks," Anna said.

"Are you interested in the lessons?" Iduna asked eagerly, reaching for her purse that was upstairs in her bedroom. "We can write a check right now."

"I don't know, Mama. I'm gonna think about it, but I'll let you guys know when I decide," Anna said carefully, not wanting to get her parents' hopes up. They loved that Elsa was a figure skater, but with her on a different continent, they weren't exactly able to be directly involved during her childhood. Anna, however, was a different story. She had all of their parents' attention, and none of the talent.

"Speaking of figure skating, I got an email from Elsa yesterday about her last competition," Agnarr said.

"Yes, she got first, right? We already knew that," Iduna responded. The Winters' had access to all of the channels that showed figure skating competitions, and they watched each one of them religiously.

"Yes, but she was just telling me about some of the notes that Elinor gave her on her performance. I think that she has a strong shot at the Olympics next year," Agnarr said.

"Would we be able to go see her?" Anna asked, jumping in to her parents' conversation. Her mother and father paused, glancing nervously at each other.

"Possibly, Anna," her father conceded.

"But it all depends on how it interferes with your studies," Iduna added. "You'll be a sophomore in college. You can't slack off just because you're only halfway through."

"It would be two weeks to go see _my sister_ perform in the _Olympics_! Seriously, how awesome would that be?" Anna could feel her temper rising and struggled to control it. She hated the way that her parents' seemed to keep her and Elsa apart. It was crazy, and she was starting to get sick of it. Before the discussion could continue any father, however, the doorbell rang. Anna threw her napkin down on her lap and stood up. "Don't worry. I'll get it. I can at least do one useful thing around here."

"Anna," Iduna began, but Anna left the dining room before her mother could finish the sentence. She stomped her way towards the foyer, trying to calm herself down. It was most likely a Girl Scout at the door trying to sell cookies or something, and Anna didn't want to scare her off just because of Iduna and Agnarr Winters. She stopped in front of the door, took a deep breath, and pasted a smile on her face.

"Hello, how can I help you?" She opened the door, generic greeting at the ready. Her smile dropped in shock when she saw who was on the front stoop.

"Elsa?" Anna's older sister stood with one fist poised to knock on the door, a large man standing behind her holding a duffel bag. Elsa's arm dropped and a small smile began to form on her face.

"Hey, Anna."

* * *

 **Cliffhanger...!? I will hopefully have a new chapter up within the next few days. (But, you know, college.) Either way, I'm super excited about this fic. I have some great ideas, it's gonna deal with some relevant and somewhat intense topics, and we're gonna get human Olaf AND Marshmallow (WHAA?)**

 **Also, yes, Merida's mother is Elsa's figure skating coach. Everything and more will be explained soon.**

 **I hope you guys liked the chapter. Please review, leave comments with suggestions, things you liked/didn't like, questions, etc.**

 **Thank you again, loves**

 **~Isabelle**


	2. Dangerous to Dream

**Another chapter! I would seriously love to keep these coming this quick but 1) college and 2) they are a little shorter than I would like. But hopefully as the story progresses and I don't have to keep setting it up so much, they'll naturally get longer. Anyways, check out the notes at the end**

* * *

 _I wish I could tell the truth_

 _Show you who's behind the door_

 _I wish you knew what all this pantomime_

 _And pageantry was for_

~Dangerous to Dream, Frozen on Broadway

* * *

Chapter Two: Dangerous to Dream

"Hey, Anna," Elsa said, smiling nervously. She felt extremely self-conscious standing in front of her now-grown-up baby sister, but she couldn't help the way that her heart swelled at the sight. Anna was eighteen years old now—the baby-roundness of her face melted away to reveal high cheekbones, the red of her hair lightened to a strawberry-blonde color though still tied in pig-tailed braids, and the height that put her right at Elsa's eye-level. Were they actually the same height?

"Anna, who's at the door?" Agnarr asked, coming from the dining room. He stopped when he saw his elder daughter. "Elsa? What on earth are you doing here?"

"Elsa?" Iduna had appeared now, too, staring at Elsa with shock.

Elsa schooled her features into a polite expression, knowing that her parents would not be pleased with anything less.

"Hello, Mother, Father," she said, nodding to each of them. It was at that moment that Anna got over her surprise and launched herself at her sister. She flung her arms around Elsa's neck, clutching the elbows of her opposite arms to make the hug impossible to escape from. Elsa returned the hug just as viciously, forcing tears from her eyes as she held her baby sister in her arms.

"You're here! Oh my God, I can't believe you're _here_!" Anna squealed. Then, she pulled back slightly. "Wait, why are you here? And who's the guy in the suit."

"Oh, yes. This is Marshall. He's my bodyguard," Elsa said, reluctantly letting go of Anna.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Anna. Your sister has told me much about you," Marshall added from behind Elsa.

"Nice to meet you too…" Anna said uncertainly. "When did you get a bodyguard?"

"We hired him for her when she turned sixteen," Agnarr said, drawing the girls' attention back to their parents. Neither one looked pleased to see Elsa at their home.

"Elsa, what on earth are you doing here?" Iduna demanded. "You have competitions and practice! Now is not the time for a social visit!"

"I haven't had a social visit since I left for Norway, Mother," Elsa snapped, irritated at her mother's tone.

"And that's not why she's here," Marshall said, gently stepping past Elsa and into the house. Elsa watched Anna's face fall and reached for her hands.

"But it is a bonus," Elsa said, smiling at her sister.

"What's going on then, Marshall?" Agnarr asked.

"Elsa's safety is at risk. We decided to move her back here for the time being while it is being investigated back in Norway." Marshall walked around the foyer as he said this, examining the portraits and checking under the rug.

"Her safety? What do you mean?" Iduna brought a hand up to her necklace, fingering the locket which held a picture of Elsa and Anna when they were children.

"It's safe for you to enter, Miss Winters," Marshall said, addressing Elsa and ignoring her mother. Elsa nodded but paused.

"Would you like help carrying my stuff in, Marshall?" she asked.

"I appreciate the offer, Miss Winters, but I would prefer if you would enter your house. I'll check the other rooms quickly, and then we can discuss the safety measures that I would like to implement while you're here." With that, Marshall left the foyer in a brisk pace, his left hand placed on his hip where he kept his gun. Elsa stepped inside and shut the door behind her, then turned back to her family.

"I know we've said this a lot in the past two minutes, but what the hell is going on?" Anna asked.

"I received a death threat in the mail yesterday," Elsa said. She watched as Anna gasped, her hands flying up to her mouth. Iduna paled considerably and gripped the locket tightly in her fist. Agnarr was the only one not to show any outward emotions.

"I see. Why don't we continue this discussion in my study?" he suggested.

"Of course, but after Marshall clears it. He is very much about protocol," Elsa said.

"Are you okay? Are you totally freaked out? Is there anything I can do?" Anna asked, latching onto her sister's arm. Elsa smiled softly at her sister.

"It's alright, Anna," Elsa reassured her.

"And this is none of your concern, Anna," Idunna said. "I wish Elsa hadn't even discussed this in your presence, to be perfectly honest."

"None of my concern? She's my sister!" Anna argued.

"What are you going to do? Nothing, not without endangering yourself, which Elsa most certainly does not want. I suggest that you go up to your room and continue studying," Iduna told her younger daughter. Anna spluttered with disbelief.

"It's summer break!" she managed to get out.

"It's always best to be prepared. I agree with your mother. Go upstairs, Anna," Agnarr ordered.

"But, Elsa—" Anna turned to her elder sister entreatingly as Elsa sighed wearily.

"Anna, I appreciate your offer, but I don't want to risk your safety. I think it's best if you were not involved in this," she said softly, her eyes focused on her hands clasped in front of her. She brought her gaze up to Anna's blue eyes and frowned. "I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you."

Anna looked ready to retort, but something in Elsa's gaze must have made her stand down. Instead, she sighed and let go of Elsa's arm.

"Okay. I'll go upstairs. I understand," Anna said. Elsa watched as her sister slowly left the foyer and then made her way up the staircase, the sound of footsteps down the hall and a door shutting following soon after.

"I think that was the quietest argument we've had with Anna in years," Agnarr noted.

"I understand why you want to keep Anna out of this," Elsa began, facing her parents for the first time alone, "but it's also important that she be kept informed for her own safety."

"We don't even know what's going on, Elsa. There's no need to drag your sister into this," Iduna admonished. Elsa sighed as Marshall entered the foyer again and gave the all clear. She tried to keep the pit of worry in her chest from unravelling as she followed her parents into the study.

* * *

"Jack, you'll never believe what just happened," Anna told her best friend over the phone. As soon as she'd entered her bedroom, she'd leapt for her phone that was plugged in on her nightstand and dialed his number.

"Um, your parents said that you could have that chocolate slip-n-slide that you've wanted since your sixteenth birthday party?" he guessed. Anna could hear sounds of laughter in the background of Jack's house, punctuated by a shriek of his kid sister every few moments. She smiled at the thought of the Overland's and their family dinners, warm and intimate and filled with Emma's adventures in the sixth grade.

"No, but that would still be awesome," Anna said.

"Okay, uh, give me a moment. Emma and Dad are wrestling, and it's ridiculously loud in here," Jack said. There was some shuffling noises and the sound of a door closing, then: "Alright, I'm back. Another guess… um, did Kristoff ask you out?"

"What? No! We're just friends, Jack. He doesn't like me like that," Anna said, rolling her eyes.

"Uh-huh, okay. Well, I don't think I'm gonna be able to guess, so you might as well just tell me."

"My sister's home!"

"Whoa, wait, really?"

"Yes! There was a knock on the door, and I went and answered it, and there she was! Oh my God, it was so good to be able to see her in person and not, like, on a screen through the TV." Anna sighed happily.

"That's great, Anna," Jack said. "I'm really happy for you."

"You have to come over tomorrow so that I can introduce you!" Anna said, sitting up on her bed as the idea occurred to her.

"Uh, I'm not sure about that, Anna. I mean, she just got home tonight? She's probably jet-lagged coming from Finland—"

"—Norway—"

"—Same thing. Both cold," Jack said dismissively. "Besides, she probably just wants to spend time with you."

"Well, that's kind of the thing," Anna said, worrying her bottom lip.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, her bodyguard kind of made it seem like—"

"Her _bodyguard_? Seriously? Why does she need a bodyguard? How competitive is it in the figure skating world?"

"Okay, one, we just watched _I, Tonya_ a few weeks ago, so you know exactly how competitive figure skating is. Also, if you saw Elsa figure skate, you'd know why she in particular might need a bodyguard. And two, that's another part of the reason that I'd kind of like for you to come over tomorrow."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked. The worry in his tone was evident, and Anna smiled with the knowledge that Jack would always have her back, no matter what.

"I don't exactly know myself," Anna admitted. "But I do know that I would feel better with your comforting and mischievous presence around, and I think that it might be nice for Elsa to know another friendly face around Burgess."

"I don't know, Anna…" Jack trailed off.

"Please, Jack? Please, please, please?" Anna begged. Jack groaned. Anna could picture him throwing his head back in exasperation.

"Okay," Jack agreed. Anna cheered. "But on one condition!"

"Anything," Anna said before she could stop herself. She immediately regret her decision.

"You have to take those ice skating lessons." The grin in his voice was palpable. Anna cringed.

"Ugh, fine," she conceded.

"Really, that easy?"

"Well, now that Elsa's back, maybe skating will be fun again."

"Are you saying it's not fun with me?" Jack feigned hurt.

"You literally threw me across the ice today," Anna deadpanned.

"Touché. Alright, I'll see you tomorrow morning, bright and early. Sleep tight, snow bird," Jack said.

"I hate that nickname!" Anna yelled into the phone as he hung up. She sighed and threw her phone down onto her bedspread. She flopped backwards, fingers coming up to begin unbraiding her pigtails as she thought over what would happen tomorrow. If Anna was being completely honest with herself, she didn't just want Jack to come over so that he could meet Elsa; she wanted him to come over so that he could be a buffer. Because as much as she loved her sister, Anna couldn't help but worry about how their relationship might change now that it was in real life. The two hadn't seen each other in twelve years, and while Anna knew that it was mostly her parents' doing, she couldn't help but feel that Elsa could have come and visited after she'd turned eighteen.

Still, Anna had a hopeful heart. She had her big sister back. What could possibly ruin that? (Aside from the whole 'threat on Elsa's life' thing.)

* * *

 **So, Marshall=Marshmallow (which that name will be coming up in later chapters, and he's going to have a fairly big role as Elsa's bodyguard so no worries). Elsa and Jack meet in the next chapter, so that's exciting! Anna's a little apprehensive about her sister's sudden appearance. Who could be threatening Elsa? So many things are happening!**

 **I hope you guys are enjoying so far. I'm having lots of fun writing it.**

 **Thank you for reading! Please comment, follow, favorite, etc. I really appreciate it!**

 **~Isabelle**

 **(Also, I have not yet seen _I, Tonya_ but I TOTALLY NEED TO AND WANT TO. Anyone else seen it?)**


	3. I'm Not That Girl

**Thanks for reading!**

 **I don't own Frozen, ROTG, etc.**

* * *

 _Ev'ry so often we long to steal_

 _To the land of what-might-have-been_

 _But that doesn't soften the ache we feel_

 _When reality sets back in_.

~I'm Not That Girl, Wicked

* * *

Chapter Three: I'm Not That Girl

 _The little girl stood still in the changing room, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her outfit sparkled where it caught the light, the powder-blue skirt flowing softly around her knees when she twirled._

" _Why don't you go get changed so we can get pizza to celebrate?" her mother had told her._

 _She didn't want to get changed. She didn't want the safety of the fabric to leave her skin, even for a moment. She didn't want the fluorescent lights above to see her bare shoulders, the lockers to see her back, the floor to see her legs. She wanted protection from the cold, empty room and everything inside of it. She wanted protection from everything outside of it, too._

 _Her little shoulders hunched as footsteps sounded from down the hall but relaxed when she realized how light they were._

" _Elsa?" her younger sister called, most likely skipping around. Elsa let a smile form, just as two shadowy hands snaked around her and covered her mouth, muffling her scream—_

Elsa shot up in bed, her breathing hard and the blankets falling to the floor. She looked around in confusion for a moment at the unfamiliar room before she remembered: she was home. In Burgess. With her parents and Anna. Slowly, Elsa's heart stopped racing as she caught her breath. Glancing to the clock on her nightstand, she saw that it about a quarter after seven in the morning.

"So this is what it's like to sleep in," she muttered to herself. Her usual schedule consisted of getting up at four in the morning for practice from five to eight before classes. During the summer, Elinor was less lenient in her schedule. But for now—this week, at least, while Elinor and her family got settled in at their new house across town—Elsa was left to her own devices.

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, Elsa decided to get up and get something to eat. Her stomach growled in agreement with her thoughts. She unplugged her phone from her charging station and got out of bed, rolling her shoulders to stretch out the kinks. As Elsa left her room, she did a quick check through her messages. There were two from Merida, Elinor's daughter and one of Elsa's closest friends, the first complaining about the mugginess during her early morning run and the second bemoaning the fact that she now lived in Virginia. Elsa chuckled at her friend's whiny attitude but did feel a twinge of guilt; it was her fault that the DunBroch's had moved to Virginia, though she did tell Elinor that it was not necessary. Unfortunately, Elinor listens to nobody except for herself.

The only other message Elsa had was from Marshmallow—Marshall's codename—telling her that he would be at her house at eight o'clock sharp. Elsa sighed, guilt churning in her stomach. Marshall likely had just as much moving in to do as Elinor, yet he insisted on being by her side.

 _That is what a bodyguard is for, Elsa,_ her mind whispered. Her mind sounded an awful lot like her mother. Elsa sighed again as she reached the bottom of the staircase. She had no idea what her family had stocked in the kitchen, but she needed something to eat immediately.

Elsa was so caught up in her hunger that she almost didn't notice the shadowy figure outlined through the morning light in the main door's window. Her heart stopped at the sight, the wispy fingers from her dream coming back to clutch at her shoulders. Quickly, she shook off the lingering effects of her dream and focused on the figure on the front porch.

The person made no move to knock on the door nor enter the house. They just stood there, almost unnaturally still. Elsa knew that, logically, she should call Marshmallow, or at the very least awaken someone else in the house, but her mind was racing too fast for her to think properly. Her body moving of its own volition, Elsa strode towards the door, unlocked it, and wrenched it open.

The figure, who had apparently been leaning against said door, stumbled inside, landing hard on his back. Elsa darted back in surprise, cataloguing information about the intruder. He looked to be of a lean build, around the height of 5'10, and had a shock of white hair. Elsa blinked as he looked up at her, eyes wide with surprise, and gave her a sheepish grin.

"Um, hi?"

"Who the hell are you?" Elsa asked, gripping her phone tightly in her hand. She tensed as the man rose up to his elbows, tipping his head back to keep eye contact with her as he slowly sat up.

"Jack Frost."

"What?" Elsa gave him an incredulous stare. At her side, she attempted to get into her phone without drawing the man's attention to it.

"Oh, sorry, you're not from around here. Everyone else is just so used to it—"

Elsa decided that being subtle was overrated: "I'm calling the police."

"Wait, no, no, don't do that! It's Jackson Overland Frost. Jack. I'm friends with Anna, I swear!" He got to his feet, hands spread wide as if to show Elsa that he had no weapons in his possession. It took a moment for his words to click.

"Jack…" she repeated, mentions of the name in Anna's emails slowly entering her mind.

"Yes. Jack Frost—it's my name, but it's also kind of a joke because I like the winter. You know, cold, ice, snow. 'Jack Frost nipping at your nose.'" Jack talked to her as if he was talking down a person with a bomb: one wrong move and everything would blow up.

"Why the hell are you talking like that?" His tone was starting to piss her off.

"Sorry. I didn't know if the police was still an imminent option," he said, rubbing a hand down the side of his neck and smirking slightly.

"What are you doing here? It's seven in the morning," Elsa said, still eyeing him warily.

"I have early morning practice, which is why it's so early. As for why I'm _here_ , Anna asked me to come over. I warned her that I'd be early."

"From what I've gathered, Anna's not an early riser."

"That she is not, but she's used to my antics by now."

"Hmm." Elsa hummed non-committedly. She relaxed slightly, having decided that Jack wasn't a weird psycho; he was just weird.

"So, can I come in?" he asked.

"You're already in," she pointed out.

Jack laughed. "I mean, technically, but I would prefer more of an invitation? I'm like a vampire in that way."

"Vampires can't enter a home unless they're invited in, and, as we've established, you're already in," Elsa said primly. Then, she sighed. "But yes, I suppose you can come in. Close the door behind you, please." Elsa turned on her heel and made her way to the kitchen to find something to eat.

"So, uh, Elsa, right? What are you doing up so early?" Jack asked, following her into the kitchen. Elsa sighed as she opened the fridge, glancing over her shoulder to see him seat himself on a stool at the island.

"I thought you were here to see Anna," Elsa said, grabbing the carton of orange juice and shutting the refrigerator.

"Yeah, but also to meet her sister. Anna talks about you all of the time. It's nice to put a face to the name," he said. Elsa paused and looked at him. He had a nice smile, she decided. Like that was the only expression that really fit him. He was quite handsome, which took her by surprise.

"You too, I guess," she said and went about getting herself a glass. Unfortunately, she had no idea where the cups were kept. After two unsuccessful attempts opening cabinets, Jack stood up and went to the one beside the sink. He opened the door, took out a short glass, and held it out towards Elsa.

"Here," Jack said. With the sleeve of her shirt wrapped around half of her hand, Elsa accepted the cup, careful not to touch his hand. Safely in her hands, she grasped the cup between both of her hands and kept her attention focused there.

"You should probably go wake Anna up," Elsa said after a moment of silence. "I assume you two have plans for today?"

Jack chuckled. "We're not really the type to plan our days. Drives our other friends crazy."

"Yes, well… it was nice to meet you," Elsa said, managing to look up into his blue eyes and give him a tight smile. Jack hesitated, then nodded and left the kitchen. Elsa let out a sigh of relief once he was gone, willing the tightness in her chest to go away.

* * *

Jack made his way up the stairs of the Winters' household, replaying his conversation with the elder sister in his head. She was much prettier than he expected—he knew that she would be pretty, if Anna was anything to go off of, but not… beautiful.

He could see the family resemblance between the two sisters: heart-shaped face, high cheekbones, upturned noses, blue eyes. But Anna was colorful, with reddish hair and a warm skin tone and freckles sprinkled across her cheeks; Elsa was like a negative of her sister. Platinum blonde hair pulled back into a low ponytail. Pale, nearly translucent, skin without a blemish in sight. She was like a china doll.

And Jack could already see the differences between the two sisters in personality. Elsa stood straight and carried herself with an elegance that could only be wrought from years of training where Anna tripped on flat surfaces. Elsa was reserved and poised where Anna was energetic and friendly. Jack almost couldn't believe that his best friend was related to the woman he'd met downstairs.

He reached Anna's door and shook himself out of his thoughts. _You really shouldn't be so quick to judge her_ , he told himself, _it is only seven in the morning. She was probably tired._ He entered Anna's room and saw the girl spread across her bed, her hair doing its best imitation of a bush. Jack laughed out loud at the sight.

"Anna, come on. Wake up," he said, sitting down on the mattress and shaking her shoulder.

"Huh?" Anna snorted, sitting upright, eyes still closed. "I'm… I'm awake."

"Anna, come on. Let's go get breakfast. I'm starving."

"Hmm… chocolate chip pancakes?"

"Sure, but you might want to get dressed."

"Jack?" Anna finally opened and her eyes and seemed to register his presence. "How- how did you get in?"

"Your sister."

"Oh… Wait, you met Elsa?" Anna exclaimed. She threw her blankets off and jumped over Jack to the floor, turning back to look at him wide-eyed.

"Yeah, kind of," he said.

"What… it's seven thirty in the morning…." Anna turned to him and hit him in the shoulder. "Why the hell would you wake me up at seven thirty in the morning?"

"For fun," Jack told her, smiling cheekily. Anna groaned and made her way into her bathroom. Jack pulled his phone out and began checking his Snapchat.

"So, what did you think of Elsa?" Anna called. Jack checked to make sure the door to the hallway was closed. He didn't want the woman in question to hear them talking about her.

"She seems… nice. Kind of quiet. And jumpy," he answered honestly.

"Jumpy?" Anna asked, poking her head around the bathroom door to give him a questioning look. Only half of her hair was flattened and Jack tried to secretly take a picture of the sight.

"Yeah, I mean, she seemed really freaked out when she saw me on the front porch. Like, threw the door open. And then she was like 'this close' to calling the police until I explained that I knew you. And then she kept wringing her sleeves around her hands," Jack said as Anna disappeared again.

"Well, I suppose she does have a reason to be jumpy."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll explain later. For now, I believe that I was promised pancakes." Anna appeared once again, this time with her hair completely under control but still in her pajamas.

"One, the word 'promise' or 'pancakes' was never mentioned by me. And two, I still think that you might want to change," Jack said.

"Give me a minute. Jeesh, have a little patience," Anna said, disappearing this time inside her closet. "Hey, do you think… could we maybe invite Elsa?"

Jack raised his eyebrows in surprise as his heart did a little jump. "Uh, yeah, I don't see why not." He cleared his throat, hoping to get rid of the squeaky quality. What was his problem?

"Awesome!" Anna said, jumping out of her closet in shorts and a t-shirt. "I'll go ask her right now! Be right back!" Anna ran out of the room before Jack could respond. Hopefully, breakfast would be his chance to make a new first impression. And maybe to figure out the weird feeling that he felt anytime Elsa's name was mentioned.

* * *

 **Sorry for the iffy ending, but I really wanted to get this posted for you guys! I'll hopefully have a new update for this weekend, especially because Elsa and Jack have blessed me with a giant snowstorm so I won't have any excuses (except for homework)!**

 **Let me know how you guys are liking the story, please! I hope that you're all enjoying! Please review, favorite, follow, etc. I appreciate it so much!**

 **Thanks, loves 3**

 **~Isabelle**


	4. Just Another Day

**Hey, I am so so sorry with how long this took me to get this out! I could not figure out how to start this, so I rewrote it like seven times. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 _'Cause what doesn't kill me doesn't kill me_

 _So fill me up for just another day_

 _It only hurts when I breathe_

 _It only hurts when I try_

 _It only hurts when I think_

 _It only hurts when I cry_

 _~Just Another Day, Next to Normal_

* * *

Chapter Four: Just Another Day

Anna was completely oblivious to the tension between her best friend and her sister as she dug into her pancakes at Wandering Oaken's Trading Post and Diner. She absent-mindedly threw out some sentences as she focused on buttering her pancakes and drowning them in syrup. She sighed as the chocolate chips melted on her tongue, her eyes closing in delight.

"Anna?" Elsa's voice snapped Anna out of her chocolate-induced ecstasy. She opened her eyes and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry, guys. Oaken's pancakes are just the best, and it's been so long since I've had them," she said.

"We came here last week," Jack reminded her, smirking.

"So. Long." Anna nodded. "What do you think, Elsa?"

"It's very nice," her sister agreed, twirling her fork between her fingers. Anna had had to suppress a gasp of shock when Elsa had ordered eggs instead of the legendary pancakes. "So, how often do you come here? You said last week, yes?"

"We come here every Friday morning," Anna said. "It's our BFF time."

"It's where Anna and I became friends," Jack added.

"Mama and Papa took me here after my first day of public school. They got busy with some phone calls, so I was just sitting at the table all alone when Jack came and sat down next to me. He made me feel better, and here we are, ten years later," Anna explained.

"Mama and Papa just left you at a table by yourself?" Elsa asked.

"They were just outside. They were dealing with… you, I think," Anna said awkwardly. There was a stiff moment of silence before Elsa gripped her fork and looked up at Jack.

"So, Jack, what are your plans for next year?" she asked him, smiling tightly. That, Anna noticed.

"Just another year at college," Jack answered, obviously trying to help smooth over the situation.

"Another? Didn't you just graduate with Anna?" Elsa asked.

"No, he graduated two years ago, like you," Anna said.

"Oh," Elsa said, looking down at the table once more. "I apologize. I didn't realize."

"It's okay. It's my childish nature that youthens me." Jack leaned back in his seat and placed a dramatic hand on his chest.

Anna snorted. "You're such a dork. Why do I hang out with you?"

"So you have an excuse to stare at Kristoff during hockey practices," Jack retorted.

"Kristoff?" Elsa turned to her sister, whose cheeks were rapidly turning red.

"I do not ogle him, Jackson," Anna said.

"I said 'stare,' not 'ogle,'" Jack replied, smirking at her.

"I don't do either of those things! Kristoff is a friend, and he's barely that. I think I annoy him more than you annoy me," Anna said.

"Uh huh, okay. You keep telling yourself that, Anna." Jack took a long sip from his drink. Anna huffed and crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Who is Kristoff?" Elsa asked.

"He's the goalie for the Guardians," Anna said. "They're Burgess's hockey team. Jack's the captain."

"Really. How long have you skated for?" Elsa turned to Jack. He blinked.

"Uh, yeah. Since I was a kid. It's fun." He coughed. Anna furrowed her brow. Usually, Jack couldn't shut up about hockey.

"I'm sure," Elsa said awkwardly, her attempts at conversation clearly not working.

"But, uh, your figure skating… that's something, right?" Jack added.

"Something?"

"Impressive."

"You watch figure skating?"

"No, but Anna talks about it. A lot."

"I talk about it as much as you talk about hockey," Anna interrupted. She glanced back and forth between her best friend and her sister. Something weird was happening, but she couldn't tell what. Then, she got an idea.

"What if we all went to the ice rink?" Anna suggested excitedly. Jack nearly did a spit-take.

"I'm sorry. Did you just say what I thought I heard you say?" he asked. "You want to go to the ice rink. Willingly. Of your own volition. No dragging necessary, with or without kicking and screaming?"

"Yes…" Anna said slowly.

"Elsa, don't panic, but I think that your sister has been abducted by aliens and replaced with a robot," Jack said seriously. Elsa gave him a bemused smile.

"What?" she asked, trying to hide the laugh in her voice. Anna watched the way Jack's eyes lit up at getting Elsa to laugh.

"Anna hates skating," he explained to her. Elsa turned to her sister, confusion written on her face.

"You loved skating," Elsa said, her voice soft and a little hurt.

"I loved skating with you," Anna clarified. "You always made it fun." Elsa looked away for a moment, her shoulders moving with her sigh. She turned back to Anna and gave her a weak smile.

"I would love to go skating today."

* * *

Elsa had to call Marshall and let him know where she would be going. She had to beg him to let her go to the diner without him, but there was no way he was letting her go to a skating rink by herself and she knew it. He was waiting at the entrance to the North Pole Ice Skadium when she walked up to him, Anna and Jack hanging back and texting their friends. Apparently, Anna had decided that Elsa needed to meet everyone. Elsa had texted an SOS to Merida and prayed to God that she would show up. There was no way that she could handle so many new people at once.

Marshall extended her skating bag, which Elsa took with a grateful look. He looked over her shoulder at the two friends, who were now engaged in a shoving match.

"Who's the guy?" Marshall asked. Elsa could practically see him calculating how quickly he could take Jack down.

"That's Jack, Anna's friend. He's fine," Elsa said.

"How do you know he's fine?"

"I've been with him all morning, and he's done nothing."

"Doesn't mean he's not waiting for the perfect time to strike."

"Marshall, please do not terrorize Anna's friends. I don't want her to hate me anymore than she already does." Elsa sighed, gripping the handles of her bag tightly. Marshall looked at her, and his eyes softened.

"Anna doesn't hate you, kid." he told her. Elsa shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. There are gonna be a lot of people in the rink, but no one is going to know who I am. I'll be fine, okay?"

Marshall sighed. "Fine. But if this Jack guy is gonna be around you a lot, I'm gonna have to do a background check. And ask him some questions. Nothing major."

"Oh, yes, a federal background check. Nothing major," Elsa mocked. Marshall chuckled as Anna and Jack finally made it to the front door.

"Hey, Marshall," Anna greeted. She already had such a nonchalant attitude around him, which Elsa was grateful for. Anna was sunshine personified. "This is my friend, Jack. Jack, this is Elsa's bodyguard, Marshall."

Jack nodded at the man, his skates thrown over his shoulder and holding them by the laces. "Nice to meet you… sir?"

"You can call me Marshall. For now." Marshall gave him a once-over, then turned and entered the rink. Jack looked wide-eyed at Elsa.

"He's suspicious around new people. Particularly men," Elsa said. She followed Marshall's lead and went into the building. She walked into a large, open lobby and stared in amazement at the giant wall mural, featuring all manners of icecapades.

"Isn't it cool?" Anna said, coming up to stand behind her sister. "Rapunzel painted it."

"She did?" Elsa asked, looking at Anna. Their cousin, Rapunzel, lived in California. Elsa was very confused as to how she managed to paint a wall in Massachusetts.

"Yeah, she moved here for art school after she graduated last year. This kind of made her a household name," Anna explained.

"It's incredible. She's amazing," Elsa said, admiring her cousin's work.

"She'll be here soon. She's really excited to see you," Anna said. Elsa smiled.

"I never realized how much I was missing," she said, her eyes lingering on the painting of a small pair of ice skates decorated with blue snowflakes. They looked exactly like the ones that Elsa had had when she was a child. A violent shiver wracked her body at the thought, and she carefully put some space between herself and her younger sister.

"You were following your dream." Anna was talking, oblivious to Elsa's sudden withdrawal. "And you're here now. That's what's important. Come on, let's go introduce you to Jack's uncle. He's the one who owns the rink, and I suspect you're going to be here an awful lot."

Elsa let Anna drag her across the room to where Jack stood talking to a large man with a big, white beard. He wore a red-button up shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows, exposing his tattoo-filled arms.

"Hey, North!" Anna chirped happily, bouncing on her toes. "This is my sister, Elsa."

"Elsa!" The man, North, had a loud voice with a rather thick Russian accent. "Anna's told me so much about you! It's wonderful to meet such a talented skater!"

"Oh, uh, thank you," Elsa said, smiling nervously at him.

"How are you finding Burgess?" North asked, crossing his arms across his chest. Elsa saw that he had "Naughty" tattooed on one arm and "Nice" on the other.

"Um, I actually just got here yesterday," Elsa said. "Everything seems different from the last time I was here."

"Ten years, no?" North asked. Elsa clutched at her elbows and looked down at her feet.

"Something like that, yes," she agreed. Marshall suddenly appeared behind her, and Elsa could imagine the stare he was giving North.

"Are you the owner here, sir?" Marshall asked.

"Yes. May I help you?" North responded.

"I need to speak with you. Do you have an office?"

Elsa sighed and looked up again. North looked slightly confused but still rather jolly.

"Of course. Follow me. What's your name?" The conversation trailed off as the two men walked away, Marshall throwing Elsa a look over his shoulder that radiated _STAY PUT._

"You ready to go skate?" Jack asked. Elsa glanced at him. His face held a boyish charm, blue eyes twinkling and a smile that could make a person weak in the knees.

"Come on, Elsa," Anna said, pulling at her hand. "It'll be like old times." Elsa stiffened at that, her hand tightening around Anna's.

"What happened to the old rink that I used to skate at?" Elsa asked. Anna frowned.

"Why did you just now think of that?" she asked.

"Because I'm about to skate in America for the first time in twelve years, and I don't remember seeing my old rink," Elsa said. Her chest tightened at the thought of that rink and that locker room. She shook her head slightly in an attempt to rid the thoughts.

"It was torn down. Health hazard or something," Jack said slowly. "North was really happy, as bad as that sounds, but he couldn't open this one without the old one gone."

Elsa let out a breath. "Good. That one was falling apart."

"I thought you loved that place," Anna said. Elsa smiled at her sister.

"I saw better ones in Europe. Kind of ruined everything else for me," she lied. "Come on. Are we going to skate or what?" Anna gave her sister a strange look but slowly nodded.

"Okay, yeah. Get in a couple of laps before everyone else gets here and the rink gets super crowded." Anna looked a little white at the notion.

"Don't worry, Anna," Elsa teased. "I'll hold your hand the entire time."

"I know you're joking, but I'm not. You let go of my hand, and I'll shave your head tonight."

* * *

Jack sat on the bench, working on tying his laces tightly as he watched the sister duo glide around the ice. Well, Elsa glided, her movements effortless and graceful as only a trained skater could manage, while Anna… skated. Jack had to admit that he was impressed that Anna hadn't fallen yet and that she was seemingly enjoying herself. Elsa was turned around, skating backwards—Jack heard Anna mutter, "Show-off," as they passed his seat—holding both of Anna's hands and laughing.

Jack grinned at the sight. Anna looked like she was having the time of her life, while Elsa was beaming with happiness. It was the first real smile that he had seen on her all day.

"Hey." Jack looked up to see Hiccup Haddock, the mayor's son and Jack's best friend (aside from Anna, of course).

"Hey. Glad you could make it," Jack said as Hiccup sat down beside him. "Not gonna try to skate?"

"Ha ha," Hiccup said drily, lifting his prosthetic to punctuate his point.

"I'm sure there are special skates for that."

"Maybe someday. But not today."

Jack laughed and leaned back against the bench, looking out at Anna and Elsa again.

"So that's Anna's sister?" Hiccup asked, mimicking Jack's position.

"Yeah, Elsa, the infamous figure skater," Jack said.

"What's she like?" Hiccup asked. "Snobby? Stuck-up? Holier-than-thou?"

Jack snorted and shook his head. "I mean, from what I've seen so far, she seems nice. Kind of reserved. And there's this whole thing with a bodyguard? I don't know."

"Bodyguard?" Hiccup asked. Jack nodded to where Marshall stood over by the entrance to the door. He was an imposing man, bigger than Jack's uncle, with broad shoulders and a height nearing seven feet. His face looked like it was permanently frozen in "stern scowl." Hiccup made a face and looked over to Jack.

Jack nodded. "Yeah. A little intense."

"Are you gonna go and skate?" Hiccup asked.

"In a minute. I'll let them have a little more time to themselves," Jack said. He watched as Elsa spun Anna in a circle, then let go to do a small spin on one foot. Anna cheered as her sister finished the move, Elsa's braid swinging over her shoulder. The girlish look about her stopped all thoughts in Jack's brain.

Hiccup let out a low whistle. "She's good."

"Yeah, she is," Jack agreed.

* * *

 **Ugh, again, sorry for the late update and the iffy ending. I will try to have another update for you all within the next week (I would love it if I could get it up in the next couple of days but... collegeeeeee).**

 **Anyways, we got some more Marshmallow. We got North. We got Hiccup (who will be in the story some more because I love HTTYD). I don't know why I keep including Anna's POV, but I think it's cause I love the outside perspective on Jack and Elsa's relationship, as well as the fact that Anna and Elsa's relationship is super important to this story. Also, I don't really know how to write romance, so hopefully that aspect isn't like super horrible.**

 **Also, some character's ages as of this point in the story:**

 **Elsa-20**

 **Anna-18**

 **Jack-20**

 **Marshmallow-32**

 **Rapunzel-19 (she'll be introduced soon)**

 **Merida-20**

 **If you're curious about anyone else, let me know and I'll make sure to include it in the next update. Hopefully, everything isn't too confusing at this point, but I am trying to do some foreshadowing. Hopefully it's working.**

 **Please follow, favorite, and/or review with any comments, constructive criticism, etc. etc. I really appreciate all of your input, even if it's just a little "Hello!" Thank you all so so so much for reading!**

 **~Isabelle**


	5. There Are Worse Things I Could Do

**Hi, everyone! Sorry that it's taken me so long to update, but I had several papers due and a lot of books to read for classes (life of a Lit major). Hopefully this chapter kind of makes up for it with some new/familiar characters being introduced. Thanks for reading!**

 **~Isabelle**

* * *

 _I could hurt someone like me_

 _Out of spite or jealousy_

 _I don't steal and I don't lie_

 _But I can feel and I can cry_

 _A fact I'll bet you never knew_

 _But to cry in front of you_

 _That's the worst thing I could do_

-There Are Worse Things I Could Do, Grease

* * *

Chapter Five: There Are Worse Things I Could Do

Over the years, Elsa had forgotten what it was like to skate with another person. She was a solo skater, in part because her coach thought it was best that way and in part because Elsa couldn't stand the thought of constantly being touched: hands in hers, hands around her waist, being tossed about and trusting other people. Skating was her safe space, and she did not want to share it with anyone else. But skating with Anna was more fun than she could remember.

Anna was a horrible skater. She stumbled constantly and had nearly fallen more times than Elsa could count. She held Elsa in a death grip, their hands locked together. It didn't bother Elsa, though, to hold her sister. In fact, it was nice. As the two skated around the rink, they talked and laughed like normal sister relationships. Elsa felt like there was this giant breath that she had been holding, and being with Anna meant that she could let it out.

Of course, meeting all of Anna's friends was somewhat stressful for Elsa. She had always been a solitary person, even when they were children, while Anna was a social butterfly. Elsa struggled to remember names and faces, though seeing her cousin Rapunzel was a welcome reprieve. The last time that Elsa had seen her, Rapunzel had been seven years old, missing a front tooth and sporting golden hair that fell to her knees. Now, her cousin was nineteen and a brunette, with a gleaming smile and a cute pixie cut.

"Did you dye your hair, Rapunzel?" Elsa asked after they'd hugged.

"No, it just darkened. Like, a lot. Weird, I know," Rapunzel said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, I mean, where did the blonde even come from?" Anna said.

"Who knows?" Rapunzel laughed. "So, Elsa, how long will you be staying?"

"For the foreseeable future. My coach moved here as well, so I'll still be practicing and everything. But it will be nice to get to be around family again," Elsa said. Anna squeezed the arm that she was wrapped around.

"We should totally have a girls' night. A sleepover. Like we did when we were little and Rapunzel came to visit for a week," Anna said.

"That would be so much fun!" Rapunzel squealed.

"Yay!" Anna did a little jump—a bad move on her part. Her feet slid out from under her, and she collapsed on the ice, dragging her sister down with her. Elsa did her best to not fall on top of Anna, but both women hit the ground hard.

"Well, I think that might be the first time you've hit the ice since my mam started coaching you," a voice said, thick with a Scottish brogue. Elsa rolled her eyes and looked up to see Merida grinning down at her.

"Ha ha. You're hilarious, Mer," Elsa said as she got to her feet. She reached down to help Anna up, who was babbling apologies like her life depended on it. "It's fine, Anna. Everyone falls. Even me, contrary to what Red over here thinks."

Merida scoffed. "You fall about as much as I miss a bullseye." Elsa laughed, shaking her head at her friend.

"Anna, Rapunzel, this is Merida, my friend from Arendelle Academy and the daughter of my skating coach. Merida, this is my sister, Anna, and my cousin, Rapunzel," Elsa said, pointing at the person as she said their name.

"Your hair is really big!" Anna blurted out.

"Anna!" Rapunzel admonished. She turned to Merida, her cheeks pink. "Ignore her. She has no filter. It's really nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you both," Merida said. The group moved over to the side of the rink to stay out of the way of skaters. Jack passed by, giving a sarcastic hat tip. Anna flipped him off.

"How has the move been?" Elsa asked. "Do you need help unpacking? I'd be more than happy to help."

"Mam would go mad if she saw you lifting anything heavier than those workout weights you use. I appreciate the offer, Elsa, but we're good." Merida gave her a knowing look, and Elsa sighed. She glanced at Anna and Rapunzel, who were listening curiously.

"I'm thirsty. I think I'm going to go to the concessions. Merida, will you come with me?" Elsa raised her eyebrows.

"Aye, lass. Do you lot want anything?" Merida asked, turning to Anna and Rapunzel.

"Well, why don't we just come with?" Anna said.

"No!" Elsa froze, then cleared her throat and smiled. "Sorry. I just mean, it took you so long to get your skates on the first time. You and Rapunzel should skate and have fun. Mer and I will be right back."

Anna blinked. "Oh. Okay. Well, um, if you could get me a water, that would be great." Elsa smiled, perhaps a bit too widely, and made her way off of the ice.

"What was that?" Merida asked as the two girls quickly untied their skates and put on their civilian shoes.

"I just… needed to talk to you about certain things, and my mother and father don't want Anna to know about them," Elsa said, fishing in her bag for her wallet. The two got up from the bleachers and nodded at Marshall as they walked past him out to the concessions area.

"What's happened?" Merida asked, worry evident in her tone.

"Marshall said that there was another threat sent to my school address. And I received one in my email today as well." Elsa moved to an empty table, fairly secluded from the other patrons. If they talked quietly enough, no one should be able to overhear them.

"Have you told Marshall yet? Maybe they can trace the IP address," Merida said.

"I just got it. I'll tell him later," Elsa said, staring down at her wallet in her hands. She fiddled with the gold zipper, twisting it between her fingers.

"Spit it out, Elsa. I imagine we only have a certain amount of time before your sister and your cousin come looking for us."

"Marshall said that… that there was a threat sent to my house. Here, in Burgess."

"Holy shit."

"Yeah."

"But how… you just got here yesterday! The only ones who knew about the move were you, Marshall, and my family!"

"Whoever is doing this is probably watching me, obviously. Marshall found some way to keep my move hidden, but no-one did the same for your family. They probably put two and two together."

"So… what now?"

Elsa sighed. "Marshall thinks that I should move again. But just me this time."

"Mam won't be happy about that."

"Well, I can't exactly skate if I'm dead, can I?"

"Jesus, Elsa, don't say that," Merida said. Her face had gone pale. Her hands were fists on the table, clenched so tight that the knuckles were white.

"It's just… I don't want to leave," Elsa said. "I uprooted my life in Arendelle to come here, to my family. And now I have to leave my family too? After I've gotten Anna's hopes up? Now that there's a chance that I could have my sister back?"

"Elsa…" Merida began.

"And you and your family, and Marshall and his husband. You've all moved here, for me, and now I'm just gonna leave? I feel horrible about it!" Elsa put her head in her hands, fingers pulling at the strands of her hair.

"Hey, we made the choice to come with you. Because we all care about you. Dad or I or the boys could've told Mam that we didn't want to come here, but none of us did. Marshall could've fixed you up with a different bodyguard, but he didn't. We came with you, so that you could be safe. If you have to leave again to be safe, then we'll let you. Mam might be a little pissed, but she'll get over it."

"Mer… when does this end?"

"What?"

"This, this person. When do they stop threatening me? How many times do I have to run away before they give up? Or before they get me?"

"They won't get you," Merida said firmly. "You've got a best friend who's deadly with a bow and arrow and unafraid to use it."

"They're just threatening me," Elsa continued, ignoring her friend's statement. "If they were threatening Anna or my parents, that would be a different story. But it's just me. So, why should I run? Why can't we catch this person _here_? Let's make me bait."

"Marshall will never go for that," Merida said. "And I'm not so sure that I'm for that plan, either. This is your life, Elsa. It's not something to gamble with."

"Yes, it is my life. And I don't want to waste it running and hiding." Elsa shook her head. "God, I'm sorry that I told you this. I think my mind was made up to stay here, I just… needed to air out my thoughts." Merida reached out and gripped her friend's hand.

"No worries, Elsa. I'm glad that you told me. That's what friends are for." Merida smiled, and Elsa let out a small laugh.

"Now I'm going to have to tell Marshall. God, security measures are going to get even worse." She groaned.

"You better believe it. And you can consider me an honorary bodyguard as well."

"What? No. Mer, this is your time to do what you want, not follow me around like a puppy."

"First of all, don't compare me to a puppy. I'm not cutesy and excitable. Second of all, I was obviously going to hang out with you this summer. Now I'm just prepared to beat the crap out of anyone who threatens you."

"Merida—"

"This is what friends are for. Now, come on, we need to get those waters and get back out on the ice."

* * *

Anna sighed as Elsa and her friend walked over to their shoes. She knew that Elsa wanted to talk to Merida about something, and Anna was hurt that she couldn't know as well. The past hour had been a blast, skating around with Elsa again and introducing her to people. She felt like they were really making progress, forming that tight sister bond that they had had when they were children. But Elsa obviously didn't feel the same.

"Do you want to sit down, Anna?" Rapunzel asked, snapping Anna out of her reverie. Anna physically shook her head and smiled at her cousin.

"No, that's okay. Just, uh, hold on tight to me, and we can try to stay upright." Anna looped her arm through Rapunzel's, and the two began to slowly make their way around the rink.

"So, uh, Merida seems nice, doesn't she?" Rapunzel said, breaking the silence. Anna looked at Rapunzel to see her staring at the woman in question, her bright red hair bent as she took off the skates. Anna smirked as she recognized her cousin's pattern.

"Shut up, Rapunzel. You do not," Anna said. Rapunzel's eyes widened as her face turned red.

"W-what?"

"You have a crush!" Anna sang. "Oh my God! What about Flynn?" Anna motioned over to Flynn Rider, another member of the Guardians, who was messing around with Jack and Kristoff on the opposite side of the ice. Rapunzel had had a crush on the self-proclaimed "King of the Smoulder" for nearly a year for some reason that Anna still had yet to identify.

"What about him?" Rapunzel asked.

"You've finally gotten over that stupid crush on him?"

"You can like more than one person at a time. And besides, I don't know Merida enough to have a crush. I just think that she's pretty."

"You're such a player, Punzie," Anna teased. Rapunzel groaned.

"Shut up, Anna. Really, please, I'm serious," she said.

"How ever will you choose? On the one hand, there's the devilishly handsome, debonair 'bad boy,' but on the other hand, you've got the mysterious new girl who makes you feel alive?" Anna clasped her hands together and laid her head on them, sighing dreamily.

"You're the worst," Rapunzel said, laughing and glancing around to make sure that no one was listening. Anna continued gushing about the "two options." She wrapped her arms around Rapunzel, becoming more and more animated. Rapunzel shoved her cousin off of her, a little harder than she intended. Anna yelped as she flew backwards, trying to gain traction on the ice. The back of her skates caught on the lip of the rink's exit, and she flung her hands out, hoping to catch something. Instead, she felt arms catch her before she could hit the cement. Her eyes flew open—when had she closed them?—to look into her savior's face. It wasn't one she recognized.

"Are you okay?" the man holding her asked. Anna could only nod, her voice failing her as she took in his handsome features: auburn hair that fell slightly onto his forehead, green eyes filled with concern, a furrowed brow. She held back a gasp as he lifted her upright, his arms were really nice, and lead her to the bottom bleacher. "Miss?"

"Thank you," Anna finally managed to breathe out. She vaguely heard Rapunzel coming up to them, apologizing profusely to Anna. "I'm Anna."

The kind smile that spread across his features made her heart stop. "Nice to meet you, Anna. I'm Hans."

* * *

 **I was writing this, and then I thought about how cute it would be for Rapunzel to have a crush on Merida. Rapunzel with crushes is just adorable to me. And Hans has been introduced! And those threats that Elsa is getting... who knows?**

 **Sorry there's not a lot of Jelsa in this chapter, and sorry it's not super long. Hopefully, I'll have a longer one for you guys by the end of this week (cause I don't have as much school work to do... hopefully...)**

 **I really hope that you're enjoying this! Let me know what you think in the reviews :) Please favorite, follow, etc. I appreciate you all so much!**

 **~Isabelle**


	6. Lifeboat

**I'm so sorry for going so long without updating! I'm horrible, I know! But college is hard!**

* * *

 _I float in a boat_

 _In a raging black ocean_

 _Low in the water_

 _And nowhere to go_

 _The tiniest lifeboat_

 _With people I know_

~Lifeboat, Heathers the Musical

* * *

Chapter Six: Lifeboat

"Elinor, are you sure that you're done with all of the unpacking? It's only been a few days," Elsa said from the floor where she was stretching, looking up at her coach. "It won't kill me to have a few days off of practicing if you're still busy."

"Nonsense," Elinor said, fixing Elsa with a firm glare. "Perfection requires discipline and practice. We cannot afford to slack off anywhere."

Elsa sighed. "Will you at least let me help you out after practice? Rearranging? Painting? Making beds?"

"Elsa, we are fine. You don't need to worry about us."

"You said that you'd take a week to get settled in, and instead you took four days. I don't want you to overextend yourself."

"I'm doing nothing of the sort. Fergus is taking care of everything, and Merida and the boys can handle the heavy lifting. Now, come on. Take a few laps around the rink before we begin warm-ups."

Elsa sighed again as she got to her feet and stepped onto the ice. Her hair was still somewhat damp from her shower, the cold ends tickling the back of her neck from the end of her ponytail. She rolled her shoulders back as she began to glide across the frozen surface, putting her legs on autopilot as she thought about her past few days back in Burgess.

After going to the skating rink a few days ago, things with Anna had been… weird. For one, Anna had met some guy that she called Hans. Elsa hadn't seen him, having returned to the skating area with the drinks a few minutes after Anna and the guy had left, so she had no clue about the guy: what he looked like, what he _was_ like. Anna declared him to be dreamy and a gentleman when she had returned home later that night, having "saved her from a concussion." The thought of him, however, set Elsa's teeth on edge. Perhaps it was because she was protective of her sister; perhaps it was because she hadn't met him yet; or, perhaps it was because of her lackluster history with men. Nevertheless, Elsa was determined to be her best self around Anna's new boyfriend.

But Anna's new relationship status wasn't the only thing that was throwing Elsa off. Anna seemed to be distancing herself from her older sister, as if she was afraid that the moment she touched Elsa, she would disappear. Elsa fought to keep the thought from stinging, knowing that it was completely reasonable. The two sisters hadn't seen each other since they were children after all. Anna was an adult, with a life and friends separate from Elsa. And Elsa had her own life as well, she knew.

She needed to stop taking everything so personally, Elsa decided. Anna had a new relationship to navigate through with this Hans, and Elsa needed to give her the space that she so obviously desired. She shoved down the hurt that rose up; she was the big sister; she needed to be better.

"Okay, Elsa," Elinor called from across the ice, breaking Elsa out of her reverie. "Let's get started on your routine. Counting first, then we'll put it to music."

The next hour and a half flew by. Elsa had always had a knack for turning her brain off when she skated, dispelling the stress and the pain from everyday life and relishing in the freedom that skating brought. It didn't matter how many times Elinor yelled at her to straighten her leg or to smile more; she did it without a second thought. It was why she was the best.

In fact, if it weren't for the group of young men standing off to the side of the rink, Elsa knew that Elinor would have had her practice another two hours and that she would have done it gladly. Unfortunately for her, the rink was a communal space, and there was a community hockey team that needed to practice. Elinor, however, was not pleased.

"Mr. North, I specifically told you that I need more than an hour and a half for my coaching," she said, stomping over to the large man. Elsa laughed under her breath as she skated to the bleachers and hobbled over to her bag. She listened to the small argument—Elinor indignant and offended, North good-natured and amused—as she smoothly undid the laces on her skates before taking them off and placing them in her bag.

"Elinor," Elsa said as she began to slip on her tennis shoes. "It's alright. We've practiced enough today, and you still have unpacking to do."

"Elsa Winters, _I_ decide when we are done for the day!" Elinor gave her student a withering glare which said student simply laughed at.

"Why don't you go work something out with Mr. North about the rink, and we can make it up some other time this week?" Elsa suggested as she stood up, workout bag placed on her shoulder and skating bag dangling from her other hand. Elinor pursed her lips in irritation but gave a nod, ordering Elsa to be prepared for a phone call as she left the rink with Mr. North.

At this turn of events, the hockey players decided that it was safe to get on the ice and begin their warm-ups. Elsa watched as they skated towards the middle of the rink, decked out in their gear and sticks in their hands. She had never really watched a hockey game before, figuring that the sport was much too aggressive for the beauty that the ice held for her. She almost likened it to sacrilege but held herself back. As her father liked to say, different strokes for different folks. She snorted quietly at the thought and turned to leave the rink and the boys to their practicing. She was stopped, however, by the tall form of one Jack Frost.

"Um, hi," she said slowly, surprised at his presence. She could have sworn that all of the team members had already gone out on the ice, but it was hard to keep track of who was who when they were all moving around so quickly.

"Hey," Jack replied. Elsa waited for him to say something, staring at a spot over his shoulder so she wouldn't have to make eye contact. Even if his eyes were very blue and nice to look at.

Finally, it got to be too much for her: "What's up?"

"Oh, uh, I just wanted to tell you that… you skate really nice?" Jack said.

"You mean 'well,'" Elsa corrected automatically, then cringed. "Sorry."

Jack laughed. "No, it's cool, it's fine." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from her. Elsa felt her chest tighten the longer she stood there, waiting for him to either say something or move out of her way.

Jack coughed. "So, uh, how have you been?"

Elsa blinked. "Fine…?"

"You know, with the whole bodyguard thing, I thought maybe something was happening with you. Anna tried to explain it, but then she met that Hans guy. Have you met Hans yet?" Jack said.

"Uh, no…" Elsa said, trying to get her thoughts in order. "How… why do you care about my bodyguard?"

"It just seems pretty serious, is all. And Anna seemed kind of upset about it, so I wondered…" Jack trailed off, his gaze going to the ice where his teammates were messing around.

"Anna was upset?" Elsa felt her heart drop into her stomach. Was that why Anna had been so distant lately? Not that she had any room to talk.

"I mean, not upset, just kind of weirded out… So, anyway, there was something I wanted to ask you," Jack said, finally turning back to Elsa and locking eyes. She froze. He wasn't going to…?

"U-uh," Elsa stammered.

"Anna's birthday is coming up, and I wanted to throw her a surprise party. I thought you might like to be in on it," Jack continued. Elsa let out a sigh of relief, the tension she hadn't realized she carried draining away.

"Oh," she said, "yes, yes I would."

"Cool." Jack smiled. Elsa gripped her elbows roughly as her stomach fluttered. There was a shout from the ice, a call of Jack's name, and he held up a hand to whoever it was.

"You should probably get out there," Elsa said.

"I should probably get your number," he replied. "For party planning."

Elsa felt her cheeks redden. "Oh, uh, yeah, but… you don't have your phone on you, do you?" Taking your phone out onto the ice while skating was an accident waiting to happen.

"Give me yours," Jack said, holding his hand out. Elsa grabbed her phone where she'd stashed it in her bag and handed it to Jack after unlocking it. He made a few swipes, then typed before handing it back to her.

"I texted myself," he said, grinning. Elsa looked down at the screen: _Hey, handsome_. She looked back up at Jack and quirked an eyebrow.

"Someone's cocky."

Jack laughed loudly, throwing his head back. He looked at her, blue eyes twinkling, and winked. "I'll catch you later, Snow Queen." He skated away from her, leaving Elsa standing on the sidelines with her phone in hand. She looked down at the screen once more, shaking her head at the hockey emoji he'd put next to his name. Jack Frost was certainly something.

* * *

Elsa was sitting on the couch in the family room, reading when the doorbell rang. She looked up at the noise in surprise and checked the time. It was seven o'clock on a Tuesday night. Who could it be?

Elsa listened for any of her family members to go to the door; perhaps they were expecting someone? But she heard nothing aside from her mother talking to someone from the kitchen. Her father was in his study, her mother was on the phone, and Anna was upstairs probably texting with her boyfriend. Elsa carefully slid her bookmark into her page as she got up from the couch. The doorbell rang again.

She knew that she should probably call Marshall, that she shouldn't be answering the door, but she shoved those thoughts aside. She was overreacting. It was probably somebody selling something. She could be a normal person: open the door, smile, say yes or no thank you.

The person on the other side of that door did not want to kill her.

Probably.

Elsa took a deep breath as she neared the door, her phone held tightly in her hand. She opened the door and looked out to the porch. A man stood on the door mat, cast in shadows so that Elsa couldn't quite make out his features.

"Hello?" she asked. The man stepped forward, and she could see him. He had auburn hair and sideburns, a rectangular face, and a kind smile. In his hands, he held a bouquet of roses.

"Hi," the man said, "I'm here to pick up Anna. Is she ready?"

Elsa breathed a sigh of relief. Of course. He was here to pick up her sister, not to tie her up, throw her in the back of a car, and shoot her in a forest somewhere. He was Anna's new boyfriend.

"Oh, you must be Hans," Elsa said.

"Yes, that's me," he agreed, chuckling slightly.

"I'm sorry, come in," Elsa stepped aside to let him into the foyer, closing the door behind him. "I'm sorry. Anna didn't tell us that you two had plans. I can go check on her if you'd like?" There was a loud bang before Elsa finished her sentence, and Anna appeared at the top of the stairs in a bathrobe.

"Hans, hi! I'm so sorry! I'm running a little late. Give me five minutes, and I'll be down!" Anna said, then bolted away without waiting for an answer. Hans looked towards Elsa with a light chuckle.

"Your sister is something," he said. Elsa laughed along, wondering if he meant something good or something bad. She hoped the former.

"Yes, she's a little scatter-brained. But she's wonderful," Elsa said. Hans nodded, agreeing with her. There was a small pause, and Elsa looked around the foyer, trying to ignore the awkwardness.

"So, tell me about yourself," she said finally, breaking the silence. "Anna has been surprisingly tight-lipped about you."

"Well, to be fair, this will only be our third date. But there's really not much to tell. I'm the youngest of thirteen brothers," Hans began. Elsa's eyes widened.

"Wow," she said.

"That's everyone's reaction." Hans laughed. "And no, it was not particularly good to have that many siblings. They were horrible. Played pranks and all sorts of stuff on me."

"That's terrible. I'm so sorry," Elsa said. She couldn't imagine torturing Anna like that.

"Oh, I got used to it. And it's something Anna and I bonded over, you know," Hans said, "having siblings and still feeling lonely."

Elsa's small smile fell. "What?"

"Just that we both had siblings who essentially pretended that we didn't exist. Three of my brothers pretended I was invisible for two whole years. Can you imagine?" Hans said all of this with a joking attitude, but his smile had turned cruel. Elsa's stomach turned over itself.

"I- I never—"

"But we have each other now. All of that's in the past," Hans continued as if Elsa wasn't talking.

"I talked with Anna as much as I could. I couldn't help what happened to me!" Elsa snapped. Hans stopped.

"What happened to you?" he repeated. She felt the blood drain out of her face, taking an involuntary step back.

"I- I was sent to Norway. I had no control over it," Elsa said, fighting to keep her voice steady. Hans gave her a measured look. He didn't believe her; he thought she was lying. He wasn't wrong.

"Okay!" Anna announced her presence as she flew down the stairs. "I'm ready!" She flung herself into Hans's arms and by the time she had removed herself, the calculating look on his face was replaced with a warm smile.

"Hey, you," he said. Anna giggled and glanced over her shoulder at Elsa. The delight in her features faded slightly, and Elsa felt her stomach drop with it. Did Anna think that she had abandoned her? Was that the problem?

"I hope I didn't keep you too long," Anna said, turning back to Hans.

"No, I was just talking with your sister," Hans said. "Though I have to say that I much prefer your company to hers."

"Hans!" Anna squealed, swatting at Hans's shoulder and shaking her head at Elsa as if to say, _He didn't mean it like that_. Elsa didn't care either way.

"Do Mama and Papa know that you're going out?" Elsa asked. Her question stopped the happy couple in the doorway. Anna looked back at Elsa and shrugged.

"I'll be back before midnight. But to be honest, it's none of their business. And it's none of yours either." The door shut firmly behind Anna. Elsa looked through the window as Anna and Hans walked hand in hand to his car, as he held the door open for her. Elsa could picture the giggle that Anna would give him as he closed it and turned to go to the driver's side. But as he got to his side and opened his own door, Hans lifted his head. Elsa couldn't see his face from this distance, but somehow, she knew he was looking right at her.

Elsa slid the deadbolt into place as the car drove away.

* * *

 **Soooo...**

 **We got some Elinor, some fledgling Jelsa, and a suspicious Hans... am I forgiven?**

 **I hope that everyone is enjoying the story. It's something unlike anything I've ever written, and I just want to make sure that I write it well!**

 **Thank you so much for reading! Hopefully see you soon :)**

 **~Isabelle**


	7. Wait For It

**Thanks for reading!**

* * *

 _I'm willing to wait for it…_

 _Life doesn't discriminate_

 _Between the sinners and the saints_

 _It takes and it takes and it takes_

 _And we keep living anyway_

 _We rise and we fall and we break_

 _And we make our mistakes_

~Wait For It, Hamilton

* * *

Chapter Seven: Wait For It

 _Oaken's Diner. 7 pm. Left corner booth in the back._ That was the text that Jack had sent to Elsa that morning. It was vague and a little creepy. Marshall insisted on accompanying her to whatever it was that Jack wanted her for, and Elsa had no objections. Yes, she wanted to appear normal to Anna's friends and the people of Burgess, but the strange text message set her on edge. Elsa was objectively pretty, she knew that. Some judge always commented on it at one of her competitions without fail, usually a man. And being a pretty woman in this world wasn't always a good thing.

Elsa let out a breath as Marshall parked the car in Oaken's parking lot. She didn't have a driver's license, so she had to rely on other people taking her places. Elsa hated being a burden, but she had never had the time nor the use for driving lessons. Maybe she could convince Marshall to teach her since they had nothing better to do aside from her skating practice.

"I've heard that this place has great food," Eli said, glancing back at Elsa from the passenger seat and smiling widely. Elsa grinned at his excitement. Eli was Marshall's husband of five years, and he treated Elsa like a daughter, which was nice when her biological father was on another continent.

"We're not here to taste the cuisine, Eli," Marshall said, sighing. He was all seriousness while Eli was always cracking jokes. They were complete opposites, but they complimented each other so well. Elsa didn't think that she'd ever seen two people so in love. The guilt at making them move began to creep up on her.

"No, yes, you are," Elsa said. Marshall twisted around in his seat and gave her a look.

"I'm on duty, Elsa," he told her. Elsa rolled her eyes.

"You're always on duty. But look, Jack is Anna's friend, so I seriously doubt he's a creep. You two can get a separate table in the restaurant and have a date. I'll be fine. If I start to get nervous, I'll let you know, okay?" Elsa said. Marshall opened his mouth as if to argue, but Elsa cut him off. "You deserve a nice night with your husband, without worrying about me. Please. I'll be fine." She held his gaze as he glared at her, chin tilting up in defiance. Finally, he relented.

"Alright," Marshall said, turning off the ignition. "But the second something suspicious happens, we're leaving. Even if I have to carry you out of there kicking and screaming." Elsa gave a wry smile as Eli cheered, leaning over to kiss his husband on the cheek.

"I have way too much decorum to be carried out of a restaurant, Marshall," Elsa informed him. She unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, heading into the restaurant ahead of the couple. The bell jingled as she pushed the door open, signalling her arrival to Oaken's patrons. Elsa took a deep breath as she ignored the nervous flutter in her stomach and looked around the room for Jack: _Left corner booth in the back_. She spotted the unmistakable head of silver hair and made her way to him.

"Hi," Elsa said as she approached the booth. Jack turned around and smiled, opening his mouth to say something, but Rapunzel popped up behind him and let out a squeal before he could.

"Hey, Els!" The brunette greeted. She leaned over Jack to grab Elsa's arm and pull her into the opposite side of the booth. Elsa blinked in surprise as Rapunzel gave her a conspiratorial wink. "Isn't this so exciting?"

"What's exciting?" Elsa asked slowly.

"Planning a surprise party!" Rapunzel said. Elsa didn't understand. It must have shown on her face as Rapunzel acknowledged Jack for the first time since Elsa had arrived. "Did you not tell her what we were doing here?"

"I didn't want Anna to find out! I was worried she might see the text message," Jack said.

"Anna?" Elsa asked, still confused. Then, it hit her. "Oh my God. It's June. Anna's birthday."

"Exactly!" Rapunzel agreed.

"But her birthday isn't for another three weeks?" Elsa said.

"It's a surprise party. We kind of need to plan it," Jack pointed out.

"Oh. Right. Planning." Elsa leaned back into the booth, the tension that she had been carrying with her ever since she'd seen the vague text message released.

"What did you think I texted you about?" Jack asked.

"I had no idea. It kind of freaked me out, to be honest," she said.

"And you still came? Your bodyguard let you do that?"

"My bodyguard is across the restaurant having a nice dinner with his husband. At least, he will now that I can tell him everything's 'on the level'."

The trio looked around the restaurant and found the hulking man in question, sitting at a small table with his small husband. Eli looked up then, almost as if he could sense there were eyes on him, and raised a brow at Elsa. She gave a thumbs up and mouthed _It's fine_ , pointing to Marshall so that he would tell him. Marshall turned to look then too, just watching. Eli waved cheerfully, then brought Marshall's attention back to him. The contrast between the couple truly was adorable.

"Does he really not trust me that much?" Jack asked, feigning hurt.

"He doesn't trust any men around me," Elsa said. She froze as soon as the words left her mouth, wincing internally. Her thoughts raced as she tried to think of a way to explain what she'd just said when a large shadow fell across the table. Elsa looked up to see a man with broad shoulders, sandy blond hair, and a friendly face.

"Hey, Kristoff, glad you could make it," Jack said, leaning his head back on his arms so that he was lounging in his seat. Rapunzel scooted away from where his spread out form and closer towards Elsa. The man, Kristoff, snorted.

"I work here, Frost," he said, bringing attention to the apron tied around his waist, resplendent in its green and blue Scandinavian pattern with _Oaken's Diner_ written across it in bright orange. Jack's eyes glittered with mirth.

"What? Ugh, God, I always forgot that." He hit himself on the head, smirking.

"Ha ha," Kristoff deadpanned. "What are you doing here?"

"Did you get my text?" Jack asked.

"Yes."

"So, come on, sit down. It's party planning time!"

"I'm at work."

"So?"

"So?" Kristoff groaned. "Jack, I have to work."

"Take a break. Oaken won't care. You're with me, his favorite customer." Jack gave a winning smile. Kristoff glared. Elsa sensed that he was reaching his limit for Jack's shenanigans.

"How about this?" Rapunzel cut in. Apparently, she could sense it, too. "You're our waiter, right? So we'll order some stuff and you can hang around when you're not too busy."

Kristoff sighed. "Rapunzel…"

"Don't you wanna help surprise Anna?" she asked.

"Yes, but…"

"Then just do it. I'd like a lemonade, please, kind waiter." Rapunzel ended her sentence with a cheery smile. Kristoff sighed again as he pulled a notebook out of his apron pocket.

"Alright, and you…?" He turned to Elsa and looked at her for the first time. He stopped, eyes wide.

"This is Elsa, Anna's sister," Jack said after a moment. Kristoff blinked, shaking his head.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I was just… surprised," Kristoff said sheepishly.

"Surprised?" Elsa asked.

"At how much you looked like Anna. Or, I guess, how much she looks like you. Or how much you both look like your mother," Kristoff said rapidly. Elsa smiled at his ramblings. Hadn't Anna mentioned Kristoff before?

"That's alright. I get those looks alot. It's almost like I came back from the dead and not from another country," she said, letting out an awkward laugh.

Kristoff coughed. "So, um, what can I get you to drink?"

"Water, please. Thank you."

"No problem. I'll be right back." Kristoff flipped his notebook closed and left their table.

"Hey, you didn't take my order!" Jack called. Kristoff pretended not to hear him. Rapunzel laughed.

"Anna's mentioned Kristoff before to me, right?" Elsa asked.

"I don't know, maybe? I tease her a lot about him." Jack shrugged.

"Why?"

"Well, Kristoff has been in love with her for, like, two years, and I thought that Anna felt the same way. But I guess with her new boyfriend she must not have."

"He likes Anna?" Elsa asked.

Jack raised an eyebrow at her. "Why do you sound so surprised?"

"I'm not surprised… not that someone couldn't love Anna. It's just… Kristoff seems so…." Elsa trailed off, looking for the right words.

"Serious?" Rapunzel supplied. Elsa nodded thoughtfully.

"Something like that," she agreed.

"Opposites attract," Jack said, pulling a napkin out of the dispenser and tearing into it.

Rapunzel sighed. "I hate that saying. But enough about this, let's start planning Anna's party."

"I'll be right back," Elsa said, scooting out of the booth.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked, giving her a look.

"Marshall still looks as if he's going to come over here and give you the third degree. I figured I should go ease his mind if we're going to be here for a while. Poor Eli deserves his husband's full attention," Elsa said pointedly. She headed for the couple's table, but her eyes were scanning the restaurant for a large head topped with a mop of sandy blond hair. She found him hunched over something in a corner near the kitchen and changed her path.

"Hey," Elsa said as she approached, "Kristoff, right?" The man jumped when he heard her voice, the two cups in his hands nearly spilling their contents. He saw that it was the platinum blonde and let out a sigh.

"Hi, yes, that's me. And you're Elsa, Anna's mysterious older sister," he said, placing the drinks onto the top of the machine.

"Um, yes, I suppose that would be me," Elsa said, heart twinging at the thought of Anna describing her as a stranger. She shook her head and moved on to the more pressing matter in her head. "I have a question for you, Kristoff."

"Okay, what is it?" Kristoff asked slowly, his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Have you… met… Anna's new boyfriend yet? Hans?" Elsa asked, choosing her words carefully. At the mention of Hans, something in Kristoff's face shifted. Where before it had been somewhat amicable behind the waiter-friendly mask, now there was something somber and a little heart-broken. Elsa could relate.

"Not really," Kristoff told her. "I mean, I met him that day that Anna met him. After he caught her or whatever and they were leaving, I ran into them. Anna was giggling like crazy. As Hans went to get his shoes, she told me that she was in love."

"Love?" Elsa practically choked on the word.

"I know. But Anna's always been like that, you know her…" Kristoff stopped himself, wincing. Elsa looked down at her feet. Had Anna truly been this unhappy? That she shared every painful detail about a nonexistent sisterly relationship with every friend?

Elsa cleared her throat. "Um, so what did you think? Of Hans, I mean?"

Kristoff straightened his shoulders and looked anywhere but at Elsa. "I mean, he makes Anna happy, right?"

"I don't know that he does," Elsa said. "Something seems off about him." Kristoff met her gaze then, surprise apparent in his eyes.

"You think so too?"

"Yeah. Do you?"

"I don't know… maybe it's just me being…" Kristoff blushed and turned back around to mess with the drinks.

"Jealous?" Elsa said softly.

He sighed. "Yeah."

"Do you think I'm being jealous as well?" Elsa asked thoughtfully. She supposed that it would make sense. After all, she had just returned from a decade long stay in another country, expecting her baby sister to spend all of her time with like they did as children. Perhaps she was unconsciously upset that Anna had a new relationship to think about when it felt like the sisters were beginning one themselves.

"I think that there is something off about Hans," Kristoff said. Elsa nodded.

"Well, it's just…. The other day…. He— I don't know. I wouldn't say he necessarily threatened me, but it certainly felt like he was. He most definitely was not polite," Elsa told Kristoff. "I'm just worried, I guess."

"Well, what do we do?" Kristoff asked.

Elsa sighed. "I don't know. It's very apparent that I don't know Anna as well as I used to. And I have no idea about your relationship with her."

Kristoff blushed again. "It's not much. But what about Jack? What does he think?"

"You expect me to talk to Jack about my sister's love life?" Elsa asked.

"You asked me," Kristoff pointed out.

"Well, yes, but—" _But you don't make me feel the way Jack does_.

"I think we should see what Jack thinks. He knows Anna the best. And until then, I think that you should know that you have a friend in me," Kristoff said. Elsa was about to splutter some more about Jack, but she paused at Kristoff's words.

"Friend?"

"Yeah. You seem like you could use one."

Elsa smiled. "I think I could." She held out her hand to Kristoff and jiggled it. "Friends?" Kristoff smiled back, placing his hand in hers.

"Friends."

* * *

 **Yikes, so I am so super sorry for the long wait for the update. College is crazy, and I am ready for it to be over!**

 **But, aww, a cute Elsa/Kristoff friendship! And Marshall has a husband who is adorable! Please let me know what you think-review, favorite, follow, etc!**

 **Again, so sorry for taking so long, but thank you for sticking with me. Finals is this week, and then I'm free for the summer!**

 **~Isabelle**

 **P.S. The title is so fitting, but I promise it was not planned. I have this whole story planned out with chap titles and everything, and this was supposed to be published like 2-3 weeks ago, so whoops. Talk about ironic.**


	8. How 'Bout a Dance?

**Yikes, so I know this is super late... sorry?**

 **It's longer than usual, at least? Anyways, I hope you enjoy it.**

 **Please review, follow, favorite, etc. I really do appreciate it! And I'll try to be better about updating now that I'm back on a schedule!**

 **Again, super super super sorry. But enjoy!**

 **~Isabelle**

* * *

 _How 'bout a dance?_

 _Let's make a start_

 _Music like this can really throw ya_

 _You'll lose the blues_

 _And you may lose your heart_

~How 'Bout A Dance?, Bonnie and Clyde: A New Musical

* * *

Chapter Eight: How 'Bout A Dance?

Marshall sighed as he looked over the latest threat that had been sent Elsa's way. The coward had apparently decided to move to email, though Marshall couldn't understand why. His computer people were tracking the IP address down as he sat there; surely they had to find something.

He leaned back in his seat and rubbed his hands over his face. These death threats were getting monotonous. The sender didn't appear to have any plan to attack Elsa, whether that be to kidnap her or kill her. Of course, Marshall took every threat to Elsa Winters seriously, but this one was just obnoxious. Generic threats, no signature—it was textbook stalker tendencies. And that's what set Marshall off. This person was holding back.

They were feigning casual, attempting to not show how badly they wanted Elsa. But Marshall knew how to read between the lines. He was an expert at it. That's why the Winters' had hired him, specifically. Marshall would keep away the creeps, the psychopaths, the wolves in sheep's clothing. None would get near their beloved elder daughter. Never again.

* * *

Jack slung his hockey bag over his shoulder as he knocked on the thick double doors of the Winters' household. Sure, it was seven thirty in the morning, but Anna should know better than to try to sleep in on Best Friend Friday Breakfast. It was tradition.

"Jack?" For the second time in a week, Elsa answered the door instead of Anna, in a long-sleeved thermal shirt and leggings. Jack was just glad that this time he was on even footing with her, both literally and figuratively.

"Hey, Elsa. Is Anna up?" Jack asked, taking in the tiredness of the young woman across from him. He watched as she folded in on herself, as if she could become less noticeable despite them being the only two people in the doorway.

"You do know that it's seven am, right?" Elsa asked.

"Actually, it's seven thirty." Jack pointed held his bare wrist out towards her to show her his imaginary watch. Elsa pursed her lips to hide a smile.

"Yes, well, I don't think Anna plans on waking up anytime soon. I could hear her on the phone with Hans all night," she said.

"Then I guess she's just gonna be really tired at breakfast," Jack said cheerfully. "Can I come in?"

"Uh, sure?" Elsa said, stepping aside as Jack made his way into the foyer. She trailed after him as he jogged up the stairs, his bag slapping against his back with every step. He really should have left it by the door.

"Um, Jack, I really don't think waking her up is a good idea," Elsa said, stepping in front of him as he moved towards Anna's room.

"Don't worry about it. Anna knows the drill. It's BFFB!"

Elsa put a hand out to stop him, tilting her head quizzically. "BFFB?"

"Best Friend Friday Breakfast," Jack said.

"Nice alliteration." She dropped her hand. "But I don't know that that matters to Anna right now."

Jack stopped. "Doesn't matter?"

Elsa winced. "Wrong choice of words. I just mean that, Anna's been… different… since she met Hans."

Jack fought the urge to laugh in her face. Elsa hadn't seen Anna in over a decade. What did she know about Anna being 'different?' Elsa didn't know Anna's normal. In this irrational burst of anger, Jack couldn't help the rant that spewed out of him: "Listen, Snow Queen, I know you're Anna's sister, but I'm her best friend. You knew her as a cutesy five year old who worshiped her big sister. I know her as the klutzy, loyal, loving, and confident woman that she's become. I know that she has horrible bedhead when she wakes up no matter what she does to her hair the night before. I know her top ten favorite chocolate brands in descending order. I know that she can't skate to save her skin, but there's a part of her that still loves it because of memories she made with _you_. So, Anna might be acting different than how you _knew_ her, but that doesn't mean she's acting different to the people who _know_ her."

Jack took a deep breath, the realization of everything that he'd just said to Elsa sinking in. He watched as she stilled, her hands clutching at the sleeves of her shirt. He could see the wall of ice fall behind her eyes, the blue freezing over into something cold and dangerous.

"You're absolutely right, Jack Frost," Elsa said, her voice so polite and so, so dead. "I apologize for my presumptuousness. How silly of me to worry about my sister. Clearly, you have things handled. I'll just excuse myself then." She didn't give him a chance to answer, simply stepped around him to head downstairs, posture so straight it looked painful. He sighed as her footsteps faded away, then shook his head to focus on the task at hand. He hadn't meant to snap at Elsa, but he could apologize later; right now, he needed to see Anna. It had been almost a week since he'd last seen her, the longest time that the two best friends had gone without hanging out for years, and truth be told, he _was_ starting to worry about her.

Jack pushed open Anna's door, entering her room as quietly as possible. If Anna had been up late into the night, a loud wake-up call would piss her off more than usual. But as he walked over to her bed, ready to shake his best friend awake, Jack realized that she wasn't in it. Yes, there was a lump under the covers, a million pillows piled on top, but it was not an Anna-shaped lump. Which meant that she wasn't here; which meant that she had probably snuck out to see Hans.

Jack took a step back, hand automatically reaching for his phone as if a text from Anna would be there, explaining that she was already at Oaken's with chocolate chip pancakes on the way. But then he remembered that he'd left his phone on the charger at his house, and that even if he had it, he knew there wouldn't be any notifications. And try as he might, the hurt that his best friend had ditched him continued to rise up in his throat even as he went off in search of her older sister with his metaphorical tail between his legs.

* * *

Elsa sat at the kitchen island, a cup of cooling peppermint tea in her hands. She didn't know how long she'd been sitting on a stool, staring at nothing and thinking about everything, but she did know that the mug had originally been intended to keep her hands warm more than a soothing beverage. Elsa sighed and took a sip. It tasted like lukewarm water and leaves.

"Hey, um, Elsa?" a voice said behind her. Elsa didn't bother to turn around; she knew it was Jack. Aside from the fact that he was currently the only young male in her house, he was also pretty much the only young male that she knew in Burgess, and one of the first new voices that she had heard when she arrived a week ago. God, had it really only been a week? It felt like a lifetime; Elsa felt a hundred years old.

"Waiting for Anna to get ready?" Elsa asked, staring down at the brown liquid. Her voice caused little ripples throughout the surface.

"Not exactly…" Jack hedged. At this, Elsa did turn to look at him. He looked sheepish, perhaps for his earlier words to her despite the truth that they held. She was grateful, though, to see that he seemed to regret his quick tongue. However, worry featured more prominently on his face. As the self-proclaimed 'Guardian of Fun,' distress did not suit him.

"What's wrong?" Elsa asked.

"Anna's not here."

"What?"

"Relax! Look, it's probably not a big deal. She's probably with Hans, you know?"

"And that's not a big deal?" Elsa demanded, getting up from her stool. Her heart had begun to race, worry for her little sister racing through her veins. On one hand, Elsa knew that Anna was most likely safe and blissfully happy off in the arms of her new beau, but there was a part of her that could only see the shadowy hands, reaching for her baby sister as they'd once reached for her.

"Oh please, teenagers sneak out all of the time," Jack said. If Elsa had been paying closer attention, she would have seen the strain behind Jack's tone. While he might not have been worried about Anna, he was certainly upset at her. Elsa, however, was firmly entrenched in panic mode.

"I don't sneak out! My friends never snuck out! Have you ever snuck out? Has Anna?" Elsa asked.

Jack paused. "Well, no, but there's never been any need to. Our parents trust us and each other, and we've never wanted to do anything they wouldn't agree with."

Elsa was too busy trying not to hyperventilate to register what Jack was saying. Her mug was long-forgotten on the counter as she paced back and forth in front of it. Her fingers twisted around the hem of her sleeves, turning red and white from the sudden lack and gain of blood flow. Elsa tried to focus.

"Okay," she muttered, releasing her grip on her sweater, "we need to call people. Marshall. Our parents. Rapunzel. Anna's friends, your friends, too, I suppose. Kristoff? Who else?" Jack cut Elsa off before she could continue her ramblings.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's fine. We don't need to call anyone, okay? Anna's perfectly fine."

"She is off with a stranger whom any of us barely know, someone that she only met a few days ago and doesn't seem to respect the people close to her. I don't trust Hans as far as I can throw him," Elsa snapped. Jack blinked.

"Man, you really don't like this guy."

"No, no, I don't." Elsa sighed, closing her eyes. "I just… have a bad feeling. People are allowed to have those, aren't they?"

Jack sighed as well. "I get it. Look, why don't you call her and see what's happening. She can set your mind at ease."

"Anna won't answer me." Elsa was sure of it. "Why don't you call her?"

"I can't. My phone's at home," Jack said.

"Then let's go get it," Elsa said.

"Let's?" Jack raised an eyebrow. "As in 'let us'? As in both of us?"

"Yes," Elsa answered. "Anna's my sister and your best friend. We both want to know where she's at. We'll go get your phone, she'll talk to you, and that'll be that."

"Elsa, I don't know…"

"Jack, please. I know we don't know each other that well. I know that I pissed you off upstairs and that you said some hurtful things to me, no matter how accurate they were, but I need this. I can tell myself that Anna's safe, but that doesn't mean I'm going to believe it. Please, just… ease my mind?"

Jack blinked. "Um, okay."

Elsa sighed in relief. "Thank you. Shall we?"

"Would you like to change out of your pajamas?" Jack asked, motioning to her attire. Elsa felt her cheeks warm as she looked down at her state of dress. It wasn't like it was immodest, but sleeping was one of her only moments of vulnerability. She hadn't even thought of it before, but now she felt as if she'd lifted up her shirt and bared her chest to Jack.

"Er, right, yes. Yes, I'll go... do that." Elsa hurried up the stairs, cursing under her breath and trying to get her heart rate under control.

* * *

Elsa didn't say a word the entire car ride to his house. Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw her typing on her phone, probably letting her bodyguard know what was going on or trying to get in contact with Anna. At the thought of Anna, Jack felt his temper flare but kept it under control. He could be pissed at her when they were face to face. You don't skip out on Best Friend Friday Breakfast; it was a punishable offense.

Jack parked on the road in front of his house and motioned for Elsa to get out as he undid his seatbelt. He tried not to stare at the fluid grace in her movements as she stepped out of the car, gently flipping her platinum blonde braid over her shoulder. He reminded himself that she and Anna weren't on the best of terms currently, and as Anna's best friend, that meant he wasn't on the best of terms with Elsa either. But… then again, he wasn't sure that he and Anna were all good right now. Ditching him without warning? That warranted some slight anger and—

"Um, Jack?" Elsa's uncertain voice broke through his thoughts. He grimaced slightly as he slid out of his seat.

"Sorry," he said. "Uh, my seatbelt got stuck." Elsa gave him a look but said nothing as she followed him up the walkway.

"Your house looks very nice," she commented. He tried to imagine it through her eyes, compared to the no-doubt-spectacularly-fancy boarding school she'd lived at for the past decade and the mansion that her family owned here in Burgess. 'Nice' was probably more like 'frumpy' in her vocabulary, but he thought it was nice all the same. A simple, two-story white house with blue shutters and simple landscaping courtesy of his father. There was a pond out back that froze solid in the winter where Jack had first learned how to skate, and Emma's garden that she tended to all year long even when it died in the colder months. She loved plants more than anyone Jack knew.

"Thanks," Jack said. "I'll just run inside real quick and grab my phone, and then we can be on our way." Elsa nodded her assent just as the front door crashed open and a large, leafy fern toddled through the doorway. Jack sighed as his sister poked her head around the plant, eyes widening at the sight of Elsa.

"Jack, what are you doing back so early?" she asked, setting the fern down on the ground. "Who's this? And where's Anna?"

"We don't know, actually," Jack said, stepping up onto the porch. "That's why we're here. This is Anna's sister, Elsa."

"The figure skater?" Emma asked. He could practically see the stars in her eyes as she looked at Elsa again. Elsa, however, was beginning to look vaguely uncomfortable as the younger girl continued to stare at her.

"Um, yes," she said.

"Elsa, this is my sister, Emma." Jack continued the introductions. "Flee, stop staring. It's rude. I'm going to run inside. I'll be right back." Emma scrunched up her face at the nickname, but Jack pushed past her before she could yell at him for treating her like a baby. He ran up to his room and unplugged his phone from where it was charging. No missed calls or texts. Anna hadn't even bothered to let him know she was ditching.

* * *

Jack's younger sister, Emma, was really quite sweet. But she was also a lot to handle, particularly at eight in the morning when Elsa was ill-prepared to deal with a highly excitable tween.

Elsa struggled to keep up with the girl as she flitted from one topic to the next, talking about Elsa's figure skating, then her own, then Jack's hockey playing, then her own figure skating costumes and would Elsa like to see them because they were super pretty. Elsa was beginning to get a headache.

"Um, do you like plants?" Elsa finally cut in, motioning to the green monstrosity currently at their feet. Emma paused, looked at the plant, and grinned.

"Oh, yeah! I garden! In the back. Do you wanna come see it?"

"Actually, Flee," Jack said, walking onto the front porch before his younger sister could spirit away their guest, "we're going to go get Anna. Maybe some other time?"

Emma pouted. "But you never bring your girlfriends over!" Elsa's mouth dropped open as Jack audibly choked. She felt her cheeks burning and brushed a nonexistent strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, no! No, no, no, we're not dating," Elsa said.

"We just met," Jack added.

"Yes! We barely know each other," Elsa agreed. She couldn't quite bear to look Jack in the eye at the moment, so she kept her gaze firmly on Emma who was eyeing them suspiciously.

"But you got in his car?" she pointed out.

"Well, yes, but that's because Anna knows him, and we want to find her, so…" Elsa trailed off awkwardly.

"Come on, Emma," Jack said, his voice full of exasperation. "Anna and I are best friends, remember? Why would I be dating her sister?" Elsa wasn't quite sure that she followed his logic but didn't contradict him.

"Did you get ahold of Anna?" Elsa asked instead, bringing the attention back to why she was even at his house in the first place. He glanced at her and shook his head.

"I sent her a text. She hasn't responded yet, but I figured we could call her in the car and find out where she is." He turned back to Emma. "We're leaving now. I'll be back later, okay?"

Emma huffed but said nothing else as the pair walked down the lawn to Jack's car.

"Sorry about her," Jack said under his breath once they got to the street. "She's… something else." Elsa let out a small laugh.

"It's okay. She's sweet. She reminds me of Anna." The two girls were certainly similar. Elsa wondered if Emma had picked up those habits from Anna. The thought made her heart twinge. What sort of habits might Anna have picked up from Elsa if she had been around? A low voice spoke behind her before she could put any more thought into the idea.

"Frost." Elsa whipped around to see a tall, extremely pale man standing right behind her. He was deathly-looking, his skin taking on an almost grayish tone and dressed in black from head to toe. The only source of light came from his eyes, which were an unearthly shade of gold. Elsa's breath caught in her throat as she stumbled back against the car.

"Pitch, hey," Jack said, his voice strangely neutral. He made his way to Elsa, setting a hand on her arm before glaring at the man. "Way to make a person piss themselves. You know most people say 'hello' as a greeting." The man, Pitch, rolled his eyes and glanced at Elsa.

"I apologize, miss," he said formally, eyes trained on her face. Elsa almost expected him to bow at the waist to her. Or perhaps the formal tone was due to the British accent he had. Either way, it was unsettling. He was unsettling.

"I-It's alright," Elsa said. She lightly shrugged Jack's hand off and stood up straight, arms folding across her chest and hands gripping at her elbows.

"So, can I help you? We saw each other an hour ago," Jack said.

"I just wanted to let you know that your uncle called for a group meeting tonight. It was last minute," Pitch said.

"Yeah, I saw. I have my phone." Jack waved the device in the air. Pitch grimaced.

"Of course. But you never responded. And as team manager, it's my job to make sure that all of the team members are in the know," Pitch said.

"Whatever, thanks." Jack rolled his eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have things to do." He opened Elsa's car door and motioned for her to climb in.

"You're Elsa Winters, right?" Pitch said. Elsa paused and looked over her shoulder at him.

"Um, yes. Yes, I am." She looked nervously at Jack who was watching Pitch carefully. "And you are?" Elsa was nothing if not polite.

"Kozmotis Pitchiner. But everyone calls me Pitch. I'm a fan," he introduced himself. Elsa fought the shiver that crawled down her back.

"I'm flattered," she said and slid into the car. Jack closed the door behind her, and she could hear the muffled sound of the two men talking. Elsa dug her nails into her jean-clad knees. Why were her hands shaking so badly? Nothing happened. She managed to suck in a breath as Jack got into the car, watching as Pitch walked away.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jack asked. She whipped her head around to see his concerned face, a hand hovering awkwardly in the space between him as if he didn't know how to comfort her.

"I'm fine, thanks." She reached for her seat belt and strapped it across her, silently begging him to go ahead and start the damn car. Her prayers were answered as he put the key in the ignition and the vehicle rumbled to life underneath them.

"So, Anna got back to me," he said. Jack held his phone out to Elsa, screen lit up on their conversation.

Anna: _I'm fine! W/ Hans!_

Elsa sighed. "We knew that." A message came in before Jack could respond. Elsa read it. Her heart dropped.

 _Keep Elsa distracted for me? I'm so sick of her big sister act_.

Elsa stared straight ahead out of the windshield as Jack read the message. She could feel his eyes on her as he shut the screen off and set it in the console. He coughed awkwardly.

"So… what do you want to do today?"

* * *

 **So a little cliffhanger? A couple actually...**

 **Let me know what you all think!**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	9. Pulled

**Guess who's back from the dead! I really am sorry that it took me this long to post a new chapter, but I've been having a really hard time. Even spent three weeks in a hospitalization program, so... YOLO...**

 **Anyways, Frozen II is sooooo good. IDK how to feel about the ending, but I'm processing. Maybe I'll have to write a one-shot to process some more, who knows?**

 **Here is the chapter. I hope you enjoy it. I truly plan to update soon (though I am working throughout this next week, AKA retail hell, so please be patient.)**

 **Thank you all so much for reading!**

 **~Isabelle**

* * *

 _I'm being pulled in a new direction_

 _But this feeling, I know is impossible_

 _So I'll confide that I've tried but I can't let it go!_

 _It's disgustingly true!_

 _Pulled, pulled, pulled!_

~Pulled, The Addams Family Musical

* * *

Chapter Nine: Pulled

"You really don't have to hang out with me, you know," Elsa said from the passenger seat of Jack's car. He hadn't paused for a response to his question, simply turned the car on and set off to some unknown destination.

"It's not like I have anything else to do today," Jack said, shrugging.

"Thanks," Elsa deadpanned. "That makes me feel great." She looked down at her lap, twisting the edges of her sleeve between her fingers.

"That's not what I meant. We should hang out, get to know each other one-on-one," Jack said.

Elsa sucked in a breath at that, her stomach dropping out from under her. "I don't know about that."

"Come on, Elsa. I can tell you stories about Anna?" Jack said, glancing over at her and raising his eyebrows. That was a tempting offer, and he knew it. Elsa sighed and picked up her phone. She sent a quick text to Marshall and then turned off the screen.

"Okay, fine. But where is it you're taking me?" she asked.

"It's a place you already know," Jack promised. He signalled left before pulling into the parking lot of the North Pole Ice Skadium. He shut the car off and turned towards Elsa, smiling triumphantly and gesturing to the building as if to say, _Ta da!_

"You couldn't have told me this was where we were going to begin with? I probably just gave Marshall a heart attack, saying I didn't know where you were taking me," Elsa said.

"Oh, God. You should probably text him right now. I don't want him to kill me," Jack said, shuddering. The two got out of the car, paused for Elsa to send a message to her bodyguard, and then headed towards the entrance to the rink.

As they walked, Elsa watched Jack out of the corner of her eye. Despite the heat, he wore a dark blue sweatshirt, his hands shoved into the front pocket. His posture was easy-going, but there was a tension in his jaw that betrayed his manner. Anna's behavior had clearly hurt him as well.

"Do you always wear a sweatshirt?" Elsa asked, cutting off her thoughts. Anna had made it perfectly clear that she didn't want Elsa to be involved in her personal life; ruminating on the feelings of her best friend was probably not smart. Jack glanced at her, bemusement in his face.

"Uh, not always…. Why?" he asked.

Elsa shrugged and reached forward to open the doors. A blast of cool air greeted her, which she welcomed. "Just curious. It's quite warm out, but it doesn't seem to bother you."

"I'm dedicated to my aesthetic," Jack said, following her into the building. Elsa let out a soft snort. Jack stopped and looked at her, eyes bright. "Did I just make you laugh?"

"No."

"I did."

"Not."

"Oh, but I did. This is a momentous occasion." Jack stopped in the middle of the lobby and spread his arms wide. "Attention everyone! Let it be known that on this day, I, Jackson Overland Frost, made the prodigal Snow Queen, Elsa Winters, laugh." Elsa was immensely grateful that there was no one around them. Her face burned; she hoped it wasn't as red as it felt.

"Would you stop? I laugh," Elsa said indignantly. Jack turned back to her, smirking. Elsa ignored the swooping feeling in her stomach his expression caused.

"I've never seen you laugh," he said. Elsa rolled her eyes.

"You've barely known me a week," she said. Jack waved a dismissive hand and walked towards the skate rentals counter. Elsa internally winced as she realized that she didn't have her skates; Jack surely didn't expect her to use worn-out, communal skates.

"I see that look," Jack said. "But you don't have your skates. And in a show of good faith, I'll use these rental skates too, even though I have mine in my car."

"I can just ask Marshall to bring me my skates," Elsa said, hand inching towards her phone.

"And have your bodyguard stand over us the entire day? Don't you want a little bit of freedom?" Jack asked.

"Marshall is going to be here whether I ask him to bring me my skates or not," Elsa said.

Jack shrugged. "Unless you tell him not to come."

"He would not be happy with that," Elsa said, but a small part of her thrilled in the idea of getting to be 'normal,' if just for a few hours. She pulled out her phone, sent a message to Marshall, and looked back up at Jack. He raised an eyebrow at her. She sighed. "I need an eight."

Jack whooped, pulling himself up onto the counter and swinging onto the other side. Elsa wrinkled her nose as Jack pulled out a pair of old, generic skates. The fabric on the outside of the boot was rough, a dull gray with dark blue accents. It had been so long since she had skated without her personal skates, she realized as she picked them up. She chanced a look at Jack, who had challenge dancing in her blue eyes. Her mouth twisted with determination at his merriment.

She turned to the nearest bench and began to put the skates on. The fit was weird, the padding thin and well-worn, and the laces were ratty between her fingers. But as Elsa began lacing the boots up, she felt her spirit lighten. Despite the fact that she had skated nearly every day for the past ten years, this was a spontaneous skating adventure, and something about it lit a flame of excitement in her chest.

"Ready, Snow Queen?" Jack asked. Elsa looked up from her seated position to see Jack standing over her, borrowed skates on his feet and a bright smile on his face.

"Is the rink even open?" Elsa asked. There really was no one there, and it was starting to make her uneasy.

"There's a birthday party on the back rink, which is where pretty much everyone's at right now. And the other open rink is rented out by a private party," Jack said.

"So neither rink is available to the public?" Elsa asked.

"I know the private party. Don't worry." Jack held out his hand for her. Elsa waited a moment before carefully setting her palm on his. A zing of electricity traveled from his fingertips to hers, and she fought the urge to jump as he grasped her hand and pulled her up. She followed him to the doors that led to the rink she used for figure skating practice every morning. He didn't even pause as he walked into the skating area, strutting in like he owned the place—though, Elsa supposed, his uncle did own the place.

"Hey, there!" Jack called out.

"Frost," an angry female voice answered, "What the hell are you doing here? It's Friday."

"Well, I suddenly found myself without plans but with a lady to entertain, so here I am," Jack said, spreading his hands out to echo the sentiment.

"And what lady would willingly spend time with you?" the voice asked. Elsa managed to screw up enough courage to step inside the room and take in the setting. On the ice were two young women, probably around her age. Both were white with blonde hair and lean builds, but that was where the similarities ended. One was about half a foot taller, two long braids trailing down her back. She had an air of roughness that screamed troublemaker. The other woman was glowering at Jack. Elsa assumed she was the one who had spoken.

"I don't know that I would say 'willingly,'" Elsa said finally. The tall blonde guffawed, voice low and scratchy. The other one examined Elsa thoughtfully.

"Ouch, how your words wound me so, fair maiden," Jack said, a hand pressed against his chest. Elsa gave him an unimpressed look. He dropped the act and turned back to the women on the ice.

"Who are you?" the shorter blonde asked. Elsa carefully stepped towards the railing and gripped it in her hands.

"Elsa Winters. I apologize for interrupting your… practice?" Elsa finally noticed the goal set up on one end of the ice and the hockey sticks that both women were holding. They looked at each other for a moment, seemingly having a silent conversation, then turned to skate closer to where Jack and Elsa stood at the edge of the rink. The shorter blonde held her hand out.

"I'm Astrid Hofferson, and this idiot is Ruff Thorston," she said. Elsa nodded politely to Ruff as she took Astrid's hand and shook it.

"Pleasure to meet you," Elsa said. Ruff let out a whistle.

"Damn, you really did go to some fancy private school, didn't you?" she said. Elsa frowned.

"Where else would I have been?" she asked.

Ruff shrugged. "School for wayward girls. Troublemakers. The ones who are so far gone you have no hope of controlling."

"Ruff, knock it off," Astrid said, hitting her friend on the arm. "Go skate or something." Ruff obliged, skating away without another word.

"She really needs a filter," Jack commented. Astrid glared at him.

"Shut up," she said. Astrid turned back to Elsa then, curiosity evident in her gaze. "So you're the famous Elsa Winters."

Elsa blushed. "N-not famous."

"I mean, pretty much. Between your skating and your sister talking about you, you're pretty much legendary around Burgess," Astrid said. Elsa's stomach tightened painfully. Did they know about what had happened ten years ago? Had that added to her so-called 'fame'?

No. She shook her head slightly. Jack would have said something, surely. _Anna_ would have said something.

"Um, so what are you doing? Are you on a team?" Elsa asked, nodding to the hockey stick Astrid held.

Astrid snorted. "I wish. No, women aren't allowed on the Guardians."

"That's a league rule," Jack said, sighing. It seemed like they had had this particular conversation multiple times. "Believe me, Astrid, if we could have you on our team, we would. No one would stand a chance." Elsa looked back and forth between them as they argued, brow furrowed.

"I know that I'm not up to date on the rules of hockey," Elsa began when there was a slight break, "But surely there are opportunities for women to play hockey, right?"

"Not through the NAHL," Astrid said sadly. Elsa bit her lip and looked up at Jack. There were no suggestions that she could offer, but she still wished that she could help in some way.

"Oh, shite, is this a bad time?" A familiar Scottish voice rang through the silence. Elsa turned around to see Merida standing in the doorway, awkwardness etched in her every feature. She wasn't very good at dealing with emotions.

"Merida, what are you doing here?" Elsa asked.

"Mam told me to come here to give something to Mr. North. I didn't know where he was, but I saw some movement in here through the window, so…" Merida trailed off.

"North doesn't come in 'til later, but you can leave whatever it is in his office," Jack offered.

Merida hesitated. "Maybe I should just come back later…"

"No," Elsa said. "You should stay and skate with us. Avoid your mother, I know you want to."

"Okay," Merida agreed.

"That didn't take a lot of convincing," Jack said.

"Have you met my mam?" Merida asked.

After setting Merida up with a pair of skates and a quick round of introductions, everyone was soon on the ice. Merida and Ruff quickly struck up a camaraderie, with Ruff showing Merida different hockey tricks. Elsa talked with Astrid about figure skating as they did laps while Jack skated around them, sometimes doing tricks. It turned out that Astrid was also a figure skater, though never as invested as Elsa was in her career. Astrid preferred the action of hockey rather than the grace of skating.

Eventually, Astrid grew tired of Jack's shenanigans and went off to join Ruff in teaching Merida. Elsa threw Jack an unimpressed look over her shoulder.

"What?" he asked, coming up behind her.

"I was making a friend," Elsa said indignantly.

"I brought you here so we could be friends!" Jack said, feigning outrage. Elsa rolled her eyes.

"And how do we do that?" she asked.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. What made you think you and Astrid were becoming friends?"

"Sometimes, you just know certain things," Elsa said. She took a breath. "It's a feeling. Like, how I feel when I skate. I know what to do in a routine, but if I get off count or I mess up, I have to fix it. And to fix it, I have to follow my instincts."

"So, you're saying it's instinctual?" Jack said. "That's a weird way to describe friendship."

Elsa crossed her arms over herself. "Why do you want to be friends with me so bad? I'm nothing like Anna. I'm not fun or impulsive. I don't light up a room. I'm the opposite." They skated quietly then. Elsa gripped the edges of her arms, willing herself to ignore the hurt his silence caused. Had he really thought her to be a carbon copy of Anna? Was that his only motivation to befriend her, Elsa?

"Maybe I want to be your friend because I got that feeling you were talking about," Jack said finally. Elsa looked at him.

"Huh?"

"When we first met. I fell backwards onto your floor? I saw you, and I wanted to know you. But it wasn't curiosity. It was like a pull in my stomach. A gut feeling, I guess," Jack said. Elsa looked away from him then, praying that her cheeks weren't as red hot as they felt.

"Oh," Elsa said.

"What about you?" Jack asked.

"What about me?"

"Do you have a feeling about me?"

Elsa had too many feelings about him. She felt scared and excited and happy. She felt heard and seen. She felt free. And those things scared her even more. Elsa had taken care in her life to keep most men at an arm's distance, but she was incapable of doing that with Jack.

"I do," Elsa said. "I feel—" She was saved by the bell, or more accurately, her ringtone. Elsa shot Jack an apologetic look as she pulled her phone out of her pocket, not even bothering to look at the number before answering and holding the device to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked. The only response was in the form of deep breathing on the other end of the phone. It was the kind of breathing that you felt on the back of your neck, the kind that made you think of serial killers and stalkers.

"H-hello? Who is this?" Elsa asked again. She felt a hand on her elbow and flinched, but it was only Jack. He was saying something, but she couldn't hear his words. There was a roaring in her ears, and all she could hear was the sound of breathing through the phone.

"Who are you?" Elsa demanded. She might have screamed it, but she couldn't be sure. Her skin felt too tight, too hot, too itchy. She wanted to peel it off and burn it with her memories. Merida was beside her now as well, and she could see Astrid and Ruff farther away, watching her with concern. All of it made her want to scream, but she couldn't because the voice was talking.

It said, "Clock's ticking, Snow Queen." And the line went dead.

* * *

 **Oof.**

 **Please follow, favorite, review, etc. Stay tuned, and thanks again for reading!**

 **~Isabelle**

 **P.S. If you wanna follow me on Tumblr, it's queen-isabelle-writes. Maybe I'll answer some questions there, maybe I'll write some drabbles, maybe I'll post some hilarious memes. Who knows. Not me.**


	10. I Can Hear the Bells

_I can hear the bells, today's just the start cause_

 _I can hear the bells and 'til death do us part_

 _And even when we die, we'll look down from up above_

 _Remembering the night that we two fell in love_

 _We both will shed a tear_

 _And he'll whisper as we're reminiscing_

 _Listen, I can hear the bells_

~I Can Hear the Bells, Hairspray

* * *

Chapter Ten: I Can Hear the Bells

 _DeAR sNOw quEeN,_

 _yOU cAn'T rUN FrOm ME._

 _i WiLL hUnT yOu DoWN wHerEVeR yoU gO._

 _tHE CloCK iS TiCkINg._

* * *

Anna examined herself closely in the mirror, from the braid crown-style of her hair all the way down to the low velvet black heels on her feet. Her makeup was impeccable: blue eyes popping against the black eyeliner, cheeks rosy from a natural blush-color, and lips a pretty pink. The pale green sundress was the perfect blend of sweet and sexy, with a flowy fabric that clung in all the right places.

Anna smiled, happy with her appearance. It was sure to knock Hans off his feet. She let loose a dreamy sigh at the thought. There was a knock on her door before she could contemplate her new beau any longer.

"Come in," she called, not moving her eyes from the mirror. She picked up a blush brush to work on her cheeks a bit more. The door opened to reveal Elsa, leaning awkwardly against the frame. Anna fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes?"

"Mama wants you downstairs. She says the guests will be arriving soon," Elsa said.

"I'll be down in a minute," Anna said. She picked up her phone and clicked into her messages, looking at the last one Hans had sent her less than an hour ago.

 _I'll be there at 6:30. Can't wait to see you._

Anna hid her squeal, fingering the chain around her neck. In just a short while, they would tell her family all about their true love. Everyone would be so happy for her, except for maybe Elsa. Hans had told Anna about how Elsa had talked to him when he'd come to pick her up the week before. Anna had thought that Elsa would simply be happy to see her happy, but apparently not. Apparently, Elsa preferred to be a sister over the internet.

"Can I help you?" Anna asked. Elsa hadn't moved from her spot. She was just standing there, wringing her sleeves around her fingers and staring at Anna. Elsa opened her mouth, then closed it before smiling softly.

"You look beautiful," Elsa said. Anna paused, glancing over her shoulder at her elder sister.

"Uh, thanks," Anna said. Elsa smiled once more and left. Anna sighed. Then there were moments like that, where Elsa looked at her with some sort of mix of sadness and longing. Wistful. Like she had lost something. But that didn't make any sense, as Elsa had made it clear that she didn't want Anna involved in her life.

Anna sighed again. Thinking about Elsa was just making her upset, and she was not going to be upset tonight. She looked down at her phone, its screen still lit up on Hans' last message. Anna smiled. Tonight was going to be perfect.

* * *

Tonight was going to be a nightmare. It was Elsa's first 'family dinner,' which wasn't just family contrary to its name. It had started when Rapunzel moved to Burgess, so she would obviously be attending, but Jack was apparently a staple at these monthly dinners as well. In addition, her mother and father had invited Marshall and Eli, as well as Elinor and her family. And, of course, Anna had invited Hans.

The doorbell rang, jarring Elsa out of her thoughts. Anna was still upstairs, and her parents were getting dinner, so it was up to her to answer. She sincerely hoped that it was not Hans. Seeing his smug face was not how she wanted to start off this night. Luckily, he wasn't the one who greeted her.

"Hey," Jack said, hands in his pockets and smiling at Elsa. His little sister, Emma, stood beside him holding a plate of cookies. "You remember Emma, right?" Elsa smiled at the both of them.

"Yes," she said. Emma beamed.

"I made cookies! They're chocolate chunk," Emma said, brandishing the plate.

"My parents are on a date night, so I'm on Emma duty," Jack said as Elsa stepped aside to let the duo in.

"Hey!" Emma stuck her tongue out at her brother before turning back to Elsa. "Mr. and Mrs. Winters love me. Jack just refuses to bring me over here."

"The last time you were here, a very expensive vase was shattered," Jack said. Emma shrugged innocently.

"What can I say? Mario Kart brings out my competitive side." With that, Emma turned on her heel and headed off towards the kitchen, where Elsa could hear dishes clanging and murmuring voices.

"And the betting of chocolate brings out Anna's," Jack added.

"I guess we'll keep Mario Kart and chocolate locked away tonight, then," Elsa said, causing Jack to laugh. "Though I suspect Anna will be too caught up in her boyfriend to be tempted by a video game."

"So I finally get to meet the elusive Hans," Jack said. Elsa wrapped her arms around her chest, walking back to the living room. The footsteps behind her suggested that Jack had followed her.

"Looks like it," Elsa said, her back still to Jack. She could feel the tension she was holding in her shoulders and struggled to let it go.

"Don't worry, Snow Queen," Jack said. His hand found her shoulder, and Elsa jumped slightly, unused to the physical sensation and the heat of his palm bleeding through the fabric of her shirt. It sent a pleasant wave of warmth and comfort through her. "Everything will be fine."

Elsa turned then to see his face. His blue eyes were trained on her, radiating confidence and a hint of concern. She internally sighed at the question she knew was coming.

"Are you… are you okay? We haven't really talked last week, since the ice rink and the…." Jack trailed off, unsure what to say.

Elsa knew what he meant though. "The phone call." She didn't know what she was, to be honest. Freaked out. Unnerved. Probably frightened, if she let herself think about it for too long. Merida hadn't hesitated to call Marshall, and soon her phone was gone. And Elsa was gone, in a way. She had gone home immediately and hadn't been allowed out since.

Jack looked sympathetic. "Yeah, that."

Elsa shrugged. "I'm good." Jack gave her an unimpressed look. Elsa gave him one back. "I'm serious."

"You're not a very good liar," he said. The laugh that escaped her was loud and unladylike, probably closer to a snort than she had ever uttered in her life. But Elsa couldn't help it. Her, a bad liar? He had no idea the lies she had told and continued to tell, with no one the wiser.

The doorbell rang again, but there was thumping on the stairs, followed by Anna's panicked cry of, "I'll get it!" before Elsa could even head for the door. Elsa's stomach dropped at the knowledge that Hans must be here, that she would have to spend the next few hours acting like his very presence didn't set her teeth on edge. She gave an involuntary shudder, which didn't go unnoticed by Jack.

"You should sit next to Emma," he suggested. "She's been dying to talk to you about skating." Elsa recognized the gesture for what it was, but she accepted it nonetheless.

* * *

"And, that," Agnarr said, "is how I finally managed to score a birdie on Hole Sixteen today." Anna wanted to groan at her father's boring golf story, but it was finally, blessedly over, so she held it in. Hans, at least, didn't seem bored to death by it, for which she was grateful.

"Which club do you play at?" Hans asked.

"Disney Springs. Beautiful course. One of the best I've ever seen," Agnarr answered, pleased that someone had taken an interest in his golf story.

"Of course, that's where my father plays. I've gone with him one or two times. You know, we should play a round together sometime," Hans said. Anna squealed and wound her arm through his.

"Oh, that would be wonderful, wouldn't it, Papa?" Anna looked to her father, her smile bright. Agnarr returned it.

"We'll have to set it up," he agreed neutrally. Of course, Anna didn't notice his slight reluctance, far too concerned with the man on her arm. Dinner had come and gone, and everyone was just waiting a bit for the dessert course. This family dinner was quite different from the ones that she was used to, from everything to the guests to the seating arrangement. With Elsa came eight other people, so the table had finally been put to full use, and with that, her mother's propensity for proper seat placement was thrown out the window. Anna didn't know half of the people at the table, but she didn't really care as long as she sat next to Hans.

She had caught a glimpse of Jack at one point across the table and a few seats down, and felt a slight sense of guilt. Usually, he sat next to her with Rapunzel across from him, and the three would have a great time laughing and catching up. But instead he sat next to his sister, who talked eagerly to Elsa, who surprisingly looked like she was having a good time.

Anna looked back up at Hans, who just so happened to glance down at her at the same time.

"Should we do it now?" he murmured in her ear. Anna bit her lip and nodded excitedly. She unlooped her arm from Hans' before picking up her glass flute—filled with sparkling cider rather than champagne, like everyone else who was under twenty-one—and knocking her fork against it like she had seen people do in movies. Of course, just like in the teen rom-coms, the glass broke in her hand and fell to the table in shards. All chatter ceased to look at the cause of the commotion.

"Anna, are you alright?" Her mother asked worriedly. Anna let out a nervous chuckle as she stood up in her seat, brushing off the top of her hand.

"It's fine, I'm fine. Sorry about that. Um, Hans and I, we have an announcement." Anna looked down at the man in question and pulled him up to stand beside her. He wrapped his arms around her as she pulled out the statement piece of the chain she wore around her neck: an engagement ring. "We're getting married!"

Silence. There was no sound; even the air conditioning, which usually produced a pleasant hum, had decided to quiet at that moment. Anna looked around at the people closest to her, ignoring Elsa's coach and bodyguard as this was a rather private moment, eager for the excited faces and shouts. There was nothing. In fact, everyone's face was rather blank, as if they were in shock. But surely they had seen this coming?

Iduna was the first to recover. "Wait, what?"

"Hans has asked me to marry him, and I have said yes," Anna said.

"I am sorry that I didn't ask for your permission beforehand," Hans interjected, glancing at Agnarr, "but I couldn't wait any longer to make Anna mine."

"She's not yours, she's a person," Elsa's redheaded friend, Merida, said.

"Well, yes, but I know what he means," Anna said, shooing away Merida's statement.

"Anna, what are you thinking?" Agnarr asked, finally finding his voice. His face was starting to turn red. Was he actually angry at her?

"Papa, I don't know what you mean," Anna said stubbornly, clinging tighter to her fiancé. And, oh, how she loved that word!

"I think he means," Rapunzel cut in gently, "that this seems very… sudden."

"Yeah, I mean, this is the first time you've introduced him to us, and you've already decided that he's the one?" Jack added. "No offense, man." Anna didn't give Hans a chance to reply to Jack.

"I don't understand why you aren't happy for me. I'm getting married!" Anna exclaimed, as if that statement would remind people that this should be a joyous occasion.

"You can't marry a man you just met," Elsa spoke up. Anna's heart stopped at her sister's voice, looking to see that she had also stood up. Anna glared.

"You can if it's true love."

"Anna, what do you know about true love?"

"More than you! All you know is how to shut people out!"

And once again, the silence was deafening. Anna watched as, for a split second, her sister's face crumpled, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Instead, Elsa's lips spread into a thin line and she said nothing as she left the dining room. Anna simply tightened her hold on Hans, a person who actually loved her.

* * *

Elsa made a beeline for her father's study as soon as Anna's words sunk in. She supposed she should have gone to her room, but she knew that that was where they would go to find her—her mother, Rapunzel, Merida—and she didn't really feel like talking to anyone. So she decided to hide in Agnarr's study. It was never empty of interesting books; she would find one, hide under his desk as she used to do when she was a child, and read until everyone had left and the desire to cry was properly crushed. Still, she couldn't help the tear that escaped as she shut the door quietly behind her, the sound of arguing filling the house once more.

Elsa couldn't help but feel bad for their guests. Rapunzel and Jack probably had as much to say about Anna's sudden engagement as her parents, but Marshall and Elinor's families were probably in the middle of the most awkward meal of their lives. Perhaps she should have offered to walk them out. Though the thought of Marshall and Fergus, two of the largest men she'd ever met, attempting to melt into their seats as her mother and sister yelled at each other was enough of a thought to make Elsa laugh.

Sliding into her father's overlarge desk chair, Elsa let out a sigh and let her posture slump. It felt unnatural to slouch, but she felt that her body language should emulate her mood. It was official: her baby sister detested her. The look on Anna's face when Elsa had spoken up was one of complete disdain and was almost as cutting as the words that followed. Almost, but not quite.

 _What do you know about love?_

Nothing. Elsa knew nothing about love.

With a groan, she hid her head in her arms on Agnarr's desk. Aside from a few papers, it was relatively empty, so her forehead was safe from any possible cuts or bruises. Not even a picture frame. The thought would have been sad, but Elsa was sure that if her father were to display a family picture, she wouldn't be in it. She hadn't been home for over ten years. No one was the same. And perhaps that was what she needed to accept. Anna wasn't the same person she was when Elsa had left. Yes, Elsa knew this, but there was still a part of her that longed for the tight-knit sisterly relationship they had had as children. Anna, evidently, had outgrown that wish; therefore, Elsa needed to respect Anna's choice and give her space.

Although, Elsa thought, perhaps Anna had been given a little too much space as her hasty engagement might suggest.

There was a knock on the door. Elsa flinched, head flying up and arms flying outward, scattering the papers to the floor.

"Shit," Elsa hissed under her breath, scrambling to her knees to pick up her mess.

Above her, the door opened and closed. "Elsa, you in here?" Jack's voice reached her ears, and Elsa was surprised at the relief that filled her. Still, she kept silent, carefully reaching for papers that had flown every which way.

Suddenly, Jack was sitting opposite her, holding several of the papers. She jumped a little and glared at the smirk he gave her.

"It was a trick question," Jack said. "I knew you were in here." Elsa rolled her eyes and grabbed at the sheets in his hand. He held them above his head playfully.

"What are you doing?" Elsa asked.

"Hiding from your family," Jack said.

"You have nothing to say to Anna?" Elsa shifted so that she was sitting, leaning against the drawers in the desk, the papers forgotten on her lap.

"Oh, I do. Trust me, I have a ton. But I don't think she wants to listen to anything any of us have to say," Jack said. Elsa nodded vaguely, staring through her lap to the floor.

"What Anna said to you was out of line," Jack said after a moment.

"But it was the truth."

"No, it wasn't."

"Didn't you say something similar to me only a week ago?"

Jack blanched. "I… I didn't say that. I just said that you didn't know Anna like you used to. I was angry and upset, and I shouldn't have taken it out on you. It was wrong. I'm really sorry for that."

Elsa shrugged. She was tired of arguing with people.

"I'm serious." Jack's hand was on her wrist, his grip loose but insistent. His touch sent shockwaves up her arm. Her mouth dropped open as she met his gaze, slightly indignant but extremely flustered. "Yeah, you're a little reserved, so what? Everyone is entitled to their privacy. But that doesn't mean that you shut people out. And I know how much you love Anna. I can see it every time we talk about her. You're a caring, loving, and kind person."

"You… you don't even know me," Elsa whispered. She swallowed hard. "You don't know what I've been through, what's happened to me."

Elsa could see the confusion on his face. He had no idea what she was talking about, yet that didn't seem to deter him.

"You're right. I don't know you. I don't know the person you were ten years ago or even ten days ago. But that doesn't mean that I can't see the person who's persevered and succeeded and thrived, sitting in front of me." Jack's fingertips caressed the inside of her wrist. Shakily, Elsa retook her arm and clutched at the papers in her lap.

"You don't know what you're saying. Truly." In an attempt to avoid Jack's eyes, Elsa glanced down at the papers. There were crudely cut-out letters glued onto it, stark black against the startling white.

"What are you so afraid of?" Jack asked. But Elsa didn't hear him, couldn't hear him. She had found the letters. And they were worse than she had imagined.


	11. It's De-Lovely

**Ooh, look at that! An update only a week later! That's what I meant to have been doing but... you know... depression.**

 **Anyways, I think I've outdone myself on this chapter, personally. It's surprisingly angsty. I didn't really think I could write angst. And maybe it sounds really stupid. Who knows?**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 **~Isabelle**

* * *

 _The night is young, the skies are clear,_

 _And if you want to go walking, dear,_

 _It's delightful, it's delicious, it's de-lovely_

~It's De-Lovely, Anything Goes

* * *

Chapter Eleven: It's De-Lovely

Elsa knew that she shouldn't be doing this. Sneaking out of one's house was a teenage rebellion, not the move of a twenty-year old who hadn't lived in the house for over a decade. Could it even be considered sneaking out when she was a fully-grown adult, capable of making her own decisions?

Possibly.

Yes, considering that she had a psychotic stalker and her bodyguard would be furious if he knew that she had left her home without letting someone know, let alone going out at one in the morning.

But there were too many things on her mind, and Elsa needed room to breathe. Her bedroom—which used to be a safe haven for her seven-year old self—mocked her; it was evident that it was still decorated for a child, filled with childhood toys and cartoon-patterned sheets. Had her parents never thought to update her bedroom? Or did they leave it like that on purpose, a shrine for their lost daughter? Though, she supposed, a part of her had died when she left for Arendelle Academy all those years ago.

Elsa sighed and shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. It was no use dwelling on the past. What was done was done, and there was no changing it. What she could change, however, was her future. Her mind strayed to the letters that she had found in her father's study earlier that night.

Seven in total. She hadn't known how many letters had been sent to her, but now she did. Seven letters, all made-up of cut-out bits of magazine and unsigned. None of them made sense. Elsa wasn't even sure that she would consider them to be threatening, though they were disturbing. Unfortunately, she hadn't managed to get a good look at them. Jack had been trying to get her attention, and then there were footsteps outside of the door, and Elsa was struggling to set the papers back on the desk in a way that suggested that no one had looked through them. She had left the study then, Jack still trailing after her, to see Anna storming out of the house with Hans at her heels.

Elsa sighed again as she reached the old park at the end of her neighborhood. There was a new one now, more central to the gated community, so this one had fallen into a state of disrepair. The see-saws were made of wood and rotting, the metal parts barely able to hold them together due to rust. The grand playcastle had seen better days—the various slides looked to be covered in some sort of overgrowth, the bridge had lost quite a few of its panels, and one of the swings at the end of it had a broken chain. It dangled sadly in the wind; Elsa shivered. And the merry-go-round, what baby Anna had considered to be the best piece of playground equipment, was tilted off its axis, groaning any time the wind managed to move it the tiniest bit. Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust and leaves.

Slowly, Elsa moved to the beloved merry-go-round of her childhood and sat down on it, ignoring its protest at her added weight. She rested her chin in her hands and struggled to find the bit of good that her move home had brought. She had essentially forced Marshall and Elinor's families to move away from everything they had ever known; Anna hated her and had possibly moved out of the house; her parents had never been more stressed or upset; and the stalker situation had only gotten worse. What was the point in uprooting everyone's lives? Why did this terrible aura seem to follow her wherever she went?

Elsa bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. She laid back on the merry-go-round, uncaring of the bits of Earth that was undoubtedly gluing itself to her hair. She had left her house to feel better, but she had only managed to make herself feel worse. It seemed so simple in the movies. The struggling main character would go out for a run or to an abandoned field, and suddenly they would have some epiphany and all of their problems would be solved. Elsa knew that her life was no movie, but couldn't something be simple for her for once?

She thought about Anna. Was there anything that Elsa could say to repair her relationship with her sister now? Had she ruined it forever, with one simple comment? Or was it Anna that had ruined her own relationships? Elsa knew that she was not the only one her sister was shutting out. Rapunzel had said that she hadn't heard from Anna all week, and Elsa had seen first hand how hurt Jack had been when Anna ditched him. It seemed like Anna was burning her bridges, content to live all by herself on Hans Island. But what would happen if her relationship with Hans went south? Jack had picked up the pieces that Elsa had unknowingly left behind—

Elsa's heart stopped. Jack Frost. Perhaps he was the answer. Before she could talk herself out of it, Elsa pulled her cellphone out of her pocket, dialed the number, and held the ringing device up to her ear. He picked up on the second ring.

* * *

Sleep had not come easily to Jack that night. Between the way Anna was acting towards him—aloof and secretive—and the cold shoulder Elsa had given him—just when he thought they had been making progress—his thoughts were racing. Pair with that the glimpse of the papers that he had seen in Elsa's hands, ones that looked an awful lot like ransom letters from a television show, and his mind would not shut up. So when Elsa called him, apologizing for waking him despite the fact that she hadn't and asking if he had a minute to talk, he hadn't hesitated to offer to do it in person.

"Are you sure?" Elsa asked, her voice uncertain. "It's nearly two in the morning."

"I can't sleep," he admitted. The line was silent for a moment. Then:

"Neither can I. That's why I went for a walk, which is what prompted my call."

Jack paused. "I'm sorry. Did you just say that you went for a walk? At one in the morning? While you have a stalker on the loose."

"Well, when you say it like that…"

"Okay, I'm coming to get you. Where are you at?"

Which is how Jack found himself driving around a little aimlessly at two in the morning with figure-skating prodigy Elsa Winters in his passenger seat. She was dressed in an overlarge sweater and leggings, and her hair was in a messy ponytail with bits of dirt and a small twig sticking out of it. Still, Jack couldn't help but think that it was one of the most beautiful sights he'd ever seen.

Elsa sighed. "I shouldn't have called you."

Jack glanced over at her. Had he said that last thought out loud? Had he creeped her out?

"It was rude and presumptuous of me," she continued, and Jack let out a soft sigh of relief. He wasn't in love with her or anything, but Elsa didn't seem the type to enjoy being complimented. Perhaps on her skating. He laughed.

"I'm glad you called. Really. For one, I was pretty much going crazy at home thinking about Anna…."

"I know the feeling." Elsa gave a sad sigh. "And the other?"

"I would've felt pretty guilty when the news dropped the report about finding your dead body in an abandoned playground," he teased. Elsa scoffed and tossed her head, looking out the side window. Jack couldn't help his laughter. He had to pull off to the side of the road due to the tears in his eyes.

"What is so funny?" Elsa demanded, looking at him like a crazy person.

"I don't know. Sometimes, things just hit you and seem funnier than they are." His laughter started to slow down then, thankfully. He was especially grateful for it when he caught the edges of her lips twitching, as if she was fighting a smile. She pursed them as she gave Jack a glare.

"It wasn't that funny," she said. Jack shrugged and wiped at his eyes. Satisfied that his brief moment of mirth was over, he pulled back onto the road and continued driving.

"It kind of was."

"It really wasn't."

"A little bit. Admit it. It was a little funny."

"... Perhaps a small bit. Though Marshall would not find it humorous."

Jack shivered. "And that's why we're not going to tell Marshall, right?"

Elsa did laugh then. "You think that I'm going to survive a late night solo trip to an abandoned playground only to be killed by my bodyguard once he finds out?"

"Fair enough," Jack agreed, smirking. Elsa settled back into her seat, her body facing slightly towards him. She seemed more relaxed than usual. Jack wondered if it was lack of sleep. "So what did you call me for?"

"Hmm?"

"You called me. At one-thirty in the morning. Most people only do that if they have a reason for it."

"Oh, right." Elsa blushed a little, looking down at her lap. Her fingers played with each other, weaving in and out of a grip. "I shouldn't have, really. It was… impromptu."

"Oh, yeah? And what prompted this prompted this impromptu phone call?" Jack raised his eyebrows. He could feel her gaze on his face but kept his own fixed on the road. He suspected that the moment he turned to her, she would turn away.

"I was… thinking about Anna. Everything that happened tonight. Last night? Oh, it doesn't matter. I'm just worried about her. I didn't realize how much damage our separation had caused. I guess I thought that since she was so young, Anna wouldn't really miss me. Or, she'd miss me, but she would grow and forget how we were as children. I mean, she was only five when I left, which isn't old enough to remember a lot of things. I thought that she would make new, healthy relationships, which she has, I know that." Elsa gestured to Jack before clasping her hands together once again. "Your friendship is a prime example of that. I just… didn't think that my absence would hurt her as much as it did. And I was thinking that she was lucky that she had you because I know that you've been a great friend to her. A far better friend than she deserves with the way she's been acting lately, don't try to deny it." Elsa held up a finger at him as Jack turned to dispute her. She met his gaze head on, unflinching.

"She's in a new relationship. Things like that require time and space," Jack said.

"Not at the expense of close friendships. And it's not just you she's been ignoring, you know that," Elsa said.

"So you called me to talk about Anna? That couldn't have waited until morning?" Jack asked sarcastically. He stopped at a red light and waited for it to turn green. Incidentally, this caused him to miss the fearsome blush that colored Elsa's cheeks.

"Oh, um, well… partly." She paused as the light changed, and Jack accelerated once more. "I am worried about Anna. I think that she's getting a little too wrapped up in her relationship with Hans, and I think something bad is going to come from it. But that's not why I called you when I called you." Elsa fell quiet. Jack looked over at her, surprised to see the anguished expression on her face. He pulled into a McDonald's parking lot, one that was open 24 hours and seemed to be somewhat busy for being so early in the morning. He said nothing as he shut the car off and waited for Elsa to break the silence.

"I know you don't know me. You said as much yourself several hours ago." Jack watched as she tightened her grip on her hands, the skin turning milk white. "But I have had to be so perfect for so long, and lately it's just become… unbearable." Elsa's voice broke. She struggled to swallow, turning her head away from him. "I feel like a fraud. And a, a monster." Her shoulders shuddered, and Jack sat forward, hand hovering over her back.

"Elsa, you're not a monster. Why would you think that?"

She whipped around to face him, tears swimming in her blue eyes. "I have caused everyone I love so much pain. You have no idea how much pain I bring with me. I feel… cursed. Like I'm meant to be alone. It's the only way I won't hurt anyone."

"You're not making any sense," Jack said. Tentatively, he set a hand on Elsa's shoulder. When she didn't move away or shrug it off, he let it settle, a comforting weight to keep her in the present.

"Anna. My mother and father. Marshall. Elinor. God, even you. I ruined everything when I came here, and nothing has gotten better. In fact, things have only gotten worse. And I was thinking about all of that and sitting on that stupid merry-go-round that Anna used to love, and I just thought… I thought of you. And I thought that you might make me feel better," Elsa said. She closed her eyes as if the sight of him pained her and turned away. His hand fell off her shoulder. "God, it was selfish and stupid. I should… I should go." Her hand reached for the door handle, but Jack hit the car lock. She could easily pull it up, but it got the message across.

"Elsa," Jack said softly. "I'm honored that you wanted to call me. I want to help, truly."

Elsa scoffed. "You don't have to help me because you pity me."

"I don't pity you. Maybe I haven't made this clear enough, but I want to be your friend. Not because of Anna, not because I feel sorry for you. Because I think we would be great friends," Jack told her. Slowly, Elsa turned back to face him. He could see the tear streaks on her face; it made his heart ache, in a different way than it did when he saw Anna upset.

"I'm not very good at making friends," Elsa said quietly.

"Well, lucky for you, I'm great at it." Jack grinned. "So, as friends, how can I help you feel better?" Elsa blushed a little and looked out the windshield.

"I suppose you already have." She looked better, too. Her breaths were coming much more even, and her shoulders were relaxed. In a minute, she wouldn't even look like she had had a small breakdown. "And what about you?"

"What about me?" Jack asked.

"I've kept you up for nearly an hour. Surely there's something I can do, as a friend, to thank you?"

"Well, first of all, you don't have to pay me back. Friends help each other out. But I will admit that that McDonald's is looking pretty appealing. What do you say to some breakfast?"

"McDonald's has breakfast?" Elsa asked. He stared at her in disbelief, their profiles awash in the yellow glow of the golden arches.

"Excuse me?" Jack asked.

"I'm not really allowed to eat at fast food places, so I don't pay much attention to them," Elsa said. She looked alarmed at the expression on his face.

"Okay, Miss Winters. I'll give you that. But right now, your scary coach isn't here, and I am going to introduce you to the wonder that is the Sausage Egg McGriddle."

* * *

It was sometime after four o'clock when Jack finally dropped Elsa off.

"A six? That's all you give the McGriddle? Really?" Jack demanded. Elsa laughed. She had done that a surprising amount in the past hour she had spent with Jack after her momentary lapse of sanity in his car. He was funny, which she knew, but when she let her guard down and actually allowed herself to enjoy his presence, she found herself having the best time.

"I'm being generous," Elsa said, shaking her head. "When you've had freshly baked chocolate croissants, all other breakfast foods are pretty much ruined."

"What, next you're going to tell me that Fazoli's is garbage compared to real Italian cuisine?" Jack said sarcastically.

"As is Pizza Hut," Elsa agreed. He let out a scandalized noise and placed a hand to his chest. She giggled as she opened her car door, placing a foot outside. Before she left however, she turned back to the driver. Elsa's smile softened. "Thank you, Jack. For everything."

Jack smiled too. "What are friends for?"

"Indeed." And before she realized what she was doing, she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Elsa stepped out into the dawn, shutting the door as quietly as possible before heading up her driveway. Her face burned with the realization of what she'd done. Her lips tingled from the feel of his cool skin. And the smile couldn't leave her face.

 _Click_.

The figure looked down at the camera in their hand, smiling. They looked at the last picture they had taken—of Snow Queen kissing that kid, Frost, on the cheek, his face stupid with surprise—and sighed contentedly. Then, they began looking through all of the pictures of that night: Snow Queen and Frost at a dirty booth in McDonald's, laughing; Snow Queen crying in Frost's car; the car stopped at a stoplight, Snow Queen looking longingly at Frost.

And the pictures from earlier. Snow Queen getting into the car. Laying down on the merry-go-round. Walking through the playground. Looking on her phone. Looking right at the camera.

But she had never known they were there. She never did.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading! Please review, follow, favorite, etc. I really, really appreciate all of your support! Please feel free to tell me what you think! I'm all for constructive criticism, but I really don't appreciate the guests who are leaving weird, random comments and insulting me and my writing choices. There is a difference between being constructive and being mean, and I think we're all on this website just to have some fun!**

 **I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I'd like to have another one up soon, but my last semester of college starts on Monday, so we'll see how this goes. (And can you believe that it's been almost a year since I started this story? I certainly planned to be farther, but I hope to fix that this year.) Thank you!**

 **~Isabelle**


	12. You Shine, Part 1

**Hey y'all! I just wanted to thank you so much for sticking with this story and to let you know that some mysteries are soon to be revealed! I'm super excited right now honestly!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~Queen Isabelle**

* * *

 _I think you hide so much you feel inside_

 _But I know deep down there's a fire burning bright_

 _From where you stand it might not be clear_

 _But you shine from here_

~You Shine, Carrie the Musical

* * *

Chapter Twelve: You Shine, Part 1

Marshall had somehow found out about Elsa's impromptu late night walk. After nearly an hour of lecturing from her bodyguard as well as her parents, leaving Elsa to feel more like she was twelve than twenty, it was agreed that Elsa was no longer allowed to leave the house without Marshall. Additionally, her parents had decided to install a new security system, which essentially shut the house down from ten o'clock at night to seven o'clock the next morning. No one was able to get in or out without the passcode, which only Agnarr, Iduna, and Marshall knew, effectively shutting down any more ideas for late night strolls.

The only person who was unhappier than Elsa about this new arrangement was Anna.

"This is completely ridiculous!" Anna yelled, fuming. Steam was practically coming from her ears. "You're only doing this so that I can't see Hans!"

"Anna, this is for your own good. Elsa's safety is at risk, and by extension, so is yours," Iduna said calmly, a hand reaching out to sooth her youngest. Anna whipped around to glare at Elsa.

"So this is your big master plan, huh? You just conveniently snuck out for the first time in your life the night that Hans and I announce our engagement, and now we're locked away from the outside world!" Anna raged.

"It's only during the night, Anna," Agnarr said. "You can still see that boy during the day." Anna paid no attention to him, only raised a challenging eyebrow at her sister. Elsa stared at her in exasperation and a little bit of disbelief.

"Yes, Anna. I acquired a stalker, put my figure skating career on hold, moved back home, and took a midnight walk all to spite you. My one goal in this world is to ruin your life," Elsa deadpanned. Anna let out a sound halfway between a scream and a groan and stomped upstairs.

That had been the last conversation Anna had had with her family in nearly a week, aside from asking for the potatoes at dinner.

Elsa groaned just thinking about it, a hand coming up to rub at her forehead.

"What's up, Snow Queen?" Jack asked, coming up to the cart with a package of pink paper party cups. Elsa took note and scratched that item off of their list.

"Thinking about Anna, as usual," Elsa said. Jack sighed as he unceremoniously dumped the cups into the cart and came around to stand next to her.

"She'll get over it. Don't worry about it, kid," Marshall said from his place behind her. He was never far from her side now, even when she was doing something as simple as shopping for party supplies. Jack was so used to Marshall's presence that he barely even flinched at the sound of his voice any more. Barely.

"He's right, you know," Jack said. "After this awesome party we're throwing her, there's no way that Anna can stay mad at any of us. She'll wake up tomorrow morning and be back to being the quirky, adorable Anna that we all know and love."

Elsa admired Jack's optimism, but a large part of her didn't believe him. In fact, a large part of her suspected that he didn't really believe himself. And yet, they were still going through with the surprise party.

"Are you sure I'll be able to get her to Oaken's? Maybe we should ask… Hans…" Elsa hated the idea of asking her sister's fiancé for any type of favor, but she wasn't sure that any of them were on good enough terms with Anna to convince her to go anywhere with them.

"Nope, you've got this. Plus, he's apparently out of town this weekend," Jack said. He gently nudged Elsa out of the way and began pushing the cart down the aisle in search of the rest of their needs. Elsa hurried to catch up to him.

"Seriously? He's not going to be here for Anna's birthday?" Elsa asked, shocked.

"I figured you'd be happy about it. I know Kristoff is. Hell, I kind of am too. I really didn't want to put up with that douche tonight," Jack said.

"Sure, I'm glad I won't have to play nice, but that doesn't mean that I want Anna to be miserable on her birthday." Elsa wrapped her arms around herself. She felt like a terrible sister, not liking the guy Anna was in love with.

"She won't be miserable. We've got the party!" Out of nowhere, confetti his Elsa in the face. She spluttered and wiped at her eyes. When her vision was clear, she saw Jack smirking at her, a small bag of shredded paper and glitter in his hands.

"Jack, did you open that?" Elsa demanded, reaching for it. He laughed.

"We're buying it, relax!" he said, running away from her to the other end of the cart. Elsa spun around to her bodyguard, who seemed to be hiding a smile.

"Are you laughing at this? He just attacked me! Isn't your job to protect me from attacks?" Elsa asked in exasperation. Marshall stared at her.

"It was glitter, Elsa," he said. Jack lost it, his laughter ringing throughout the store as he clutched at his stomach. Elsa glowered.

"I'm going to get the table clothes," Elsa said, looking down at the list and choosing the first thing she saw. She pointed at Marshall. "You stay with the cart." Elsa turned on her heel and marched down the aisle, eyes scanning for a sign of where party supplies might be. The sound of footsteps followed her and she groaned.

"Elsa, wait up!" Jack said, catching up to her easily. He was slightly out of breath from his laughing fit, causing him to place a hand on her shoulder for balance. Elsa shrugged it off.

"Hey, hey, hey, wait! Wait! Are you seriously mad at me?"

Elsa looked at him. "There is glitter in my eyelashes."

Jack bit his lip to stifle his laughter. Elsa involuntarily followed the movement, then shook her head. Gaining control of himself, Jack held the bag out to Elsa.

"Go on," he said, bouncing it in his hand.

"Go on with what?" Elsa asked.

"Get me back. Throw some at me."

"Seriously?"

"If it means you'll stop glaring at me, then yes. I didn't know you were such a poor sport."

Elsa's eyes flashed at that comment. Before he could react, she snatched the bag from his hand and dumped the remaining contents onto his head. Glitter and confetti rained down on him, sticking in his hair and shoulders. He gaped at her.

"You're going to look wonderful at the party tonight," Elsa said sweetly, giving the empty plastic bag back. "And by the way, I handle pranks just fine. I just don't enjoy being nearly blinded at a supermarket." Satisfied with her work, Elsa continued to search for table clothes.

* * *

At the end of the aisle, guarding the cart as Elsa had ordered, Marshall chuckled at the two young adults arguing. Over the past week, he had found that he actually liked Jack. The kid had stopped by every day to see Elsa, talking and joking with her. Marshall didn't think that he had ever seen his charge so carefree; it was a nice light in the darkness surrounding her.

Marshall watched as Elsa dumped the remaining confetti on Jack and primly turned on her heel. He saw the look of surprise and adoration on Jack's face before he could school it back into his usual look of cool mischief. Normally, Marshall was tasked with shooing away any potential suitors, but he had a feeling that Elsa's relationship with the young man wasn't just friendly.

Marshall was equally nervous and hopeful about it, to be honest. While he knew that Elsa wasn't particularly fond of relationships, he thought that Jack was good for her—a comforting, cheerful presence amidst all of the drama concerning the threats and her fight with Anna. Marshall liked that Jack managed to draw Elsa out of her shell, so long as she was protected when she ventured out.

Marshall felt a flicker of irritation and worry, thinking about last week. The pictures that had found their way to the Winters' doorstep. The freak who had been threatening Elsa was getting cocky. Agnarr and Iduna had expressed their concern that the stalker might make their move soon and do something to Elsa. But that was what Marshall was here for, to protect the elder Winters child. And Marshall took his task seriously. Dead seriously.

* * *

"How does the banner look?" Kristoff called down from his perch on the ladder. Elsa wasn't sure who exactly he was asking—Jack was messing around with the music, Rapunzel was flitting from place to place checking on the decorations, and Elsa herself was in charge of making sure the food was all correct. No one was exactly concerned with the banner, which had _HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNA!_ written on it in a large pink font.

"I think it looks okay," Elsa said, after no one else had answered. Kristoff gave her a thumbs up and began to descend the ladder.

"Whoa, hey, Kristoff, can you hang the left side of the banner up a little more? It's crooked," Rapunzel said before dashing off to the opposite end of Oaken's. Kristoff looked at Elsa in exasperation, who shrugged.

"I probably wasn't the best person to ask," she admitted. Kristoff simply sighed and began messing with the banner once more.

"Okay, so, I think we're good for you to go and get Anna," Jack said, coming up to stand beside her. Elsa wrapped her arms around her waist.

"I really think someone else should go get her…" Elsa began, but Jack held up a hand, effectively cutting her off.

"Elsa, we've been over this. Your parents texted Anna this morning, saying that they wanted to have a family dinner here, at Oaken's, and that you would be picking her up after your practice. It's all set up. I can't go get her for a family dinner," Jack said, the _duh_ in his voice very heavily implied. Elsa sighed.

"You act like it's so easy," she complained.

"It is easy. I promise."

"Nothing with Anna is ever easy."

"You've got me there."

Elsa sighed again and looked down at her shoes, pressing the heels together. There was a whisper of contact against her arm, the ghost of a hand, before it dropped as if it were never there.

"Everything is going to be okay. You're just picking Anna up. I can even text you your line if you want," Jack said. Elsa snorted softly and looked up at Jack through her eyelashes.

"And what is my line?" she asked.

"I don't know. 'Anna, let's go'? 'Anna, I'm here'? I've got some time to think of one before you get there, don't worry," Jack said. He smiled at her, and Elsa couldn't help but smile back.

"Okay. You're right. I'm overreacting. I'll let Marshall know that it's time for us to go," Elsa said, nodding her head to psyche herself up.

"Exactly! What could go wrong?"

* * *

It was official: Anna was having the worst birthday of her life. Not only was her fiancé out of town, but her family had decided to have a 'special dinner' tonight, which Anna knew was going to be some sort of intervention. As if they hadn't made their opinions about Hans known last week.

Anna let out a groan, flopping onto her back on the dusty attic floor. She had decided to come up here around noon, wanting to look through some old childhood stuff for some happy memories. So far, she had come up short. Sure, her own baby box was cute and adorable, but she wanted more. She wanted intrigue. Drama. Romance. Then again, this was her family that she was talking about, so it wasn't surprising that she had come up short.

Anna sighed, looking at the scrapbook she had found earlier. Rolling to her side, Anna opened the book to see pictures of her and Elsa when they were kids, before Elsa had left for Norway. There was a whole page dedicated to the day Anna was born, with toddler Elsa eagerly looking at her in every picture. The best one was of Elsa sitting on Mama's lap, holding baby Anna and kissing her forehead.

The next few pages were of them growing up: Halloweens, Christmases, Easters. Matching outfits and costumes. Playing together in the snow. Beaming at Elsa's skating performances. And then, the pictures stop. Just like in real life.

Anna sighed again and closed the scrapbook, hauling herself up into a sitting position. She probably needed to clean this up. She probably needed to clean herself up as well, but she wasn't going to. It was a small form of rebellion against her parents, but it was a rebellion nonetheless. Anna reached to pick up the scrapbook to place it back in its box, but her grip on the book was too weak. She lost her hold and the book fell to the ground, splaying open. Anna winced.

"Shit," she said, getting to her knees and picking up the book. It's fall must have jostled something because a fat manila envelope tumbled to the floor, several pictures inside sliding out. More pictures of Elsa's childhood figure skating career. But these pictures were different.

Instead of pictures of Anna and Elsa, they were pictures of Elsa and a man on the ice. He was short for an adult, with a large nose and a balding spot on his head. He wore a sports jacket, with the name of Elsa's old skating rink stitched onto it beside a singular snowflake. Was he an old coach? Some of the pictures also had Anna with the pair, giving Elsa flowers, and others included their parents. Nevertheless, the feature of the photographs were Elsa and the strange man.

Anna flipped through them, seemingly both slowly and quickly. She watched as Elsa grew older, baby fat beginning to melt away, hair changing from a barely-there ponytail to a classic French braid. She also watched as her smiles became more forced, as the man found some way to always be touching her. Anna felt a nasty thing growing in the pit of her stomach. There was a dark cloud floating over these pictures, over her head. There was something off about the man and the pictures themselves. But what bothered Anna most of all was why she didn't recognize the man. She was pictured with him several times. He seemed to be Elsa's coach.

"Anna," Elsa's voice was tinny, almost quiet, floating up from nearly three floors. "Are you ready to go?" Anna pushed the pictures back into the envelope, save for one which she held tightly in a trembling hand. She forced herself to her feet, to travel down the attic ladder and the stairs to reach her sister.

Elsa stood in the foyer, arms wrapped around herself and glancing around as if she had never been there before. Almost a month in the house, and she still looked as if she was a guest. Anna watched as Elsa's face flooded with relief at the sight of her. Her sister gave her a small smile.

"Hey, happy birthday," she said shyly. Anna shook, with anger or shock or fear or disgust she didn't know. She held up the picture in her hand, the one where the man had Elsa on his shoulders. Elsa was holding a first place trophy, dressed in a blue, sparkly dress; she should be beaming with pride. Instead, she grimaced at the camera, eyes filled with fear. The Elsa that stood in front of her looked much like her childhood counterpart.

"Who is this man, Elsa?" Anna asked.

* * *

 **Yay! One chapter away from the big reveal! Ugh, I'm so excited. As always, please follow, favorite, review, etc. Who do you think the man is? Does he have something to do with why Elsa was sent away? Is he the stalker...? (I, of course, know these answers, oops.)**

 **Again, thank you for sticking with me. I truly think the payoff is coming up!**

 **~Queen Isabelle**


	13. When Your Feet Don't Touch, Part 1

**So, this chapter is a little shorter, which I do feel bad about because this is later than I had meant. Unfortunately, I just got out of the hospital that I had been admitted to for a week, so I hadn't had access to the internet to write this, let alone post it. But I've posted it! And I hope to get the next chapter up soon. Also, I've got some one-shots that I'm working on that I hope to post soon as well, so keep your eyes peeled!**

 **As always, please review, follow, favorite, etc. I appreciate constructive criticism, but I don't appreciate when people post random things that have nothing to do with my story. So please don't do that; I won't be approving them.**

 **Thank you so so so much for sticking with me. I love this story, and I'm so excited to continue it!**

 **~Isabelle**

* * *

 _When did life become this place of madness?_

 _Drifting on an empty sea of waves of sadness_

 _I make believe I'm in control_

 _And dream it wasn't all my fault_

~When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground, Finding Neverland

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground, Part 1

Elsa felt like she was underwater. She watched as Anna's mouth moved, forming words and questions, as Anna brandished the picture in her hand like it was a weapon. She had no idea how much of a weapon it was. _Who is this man?_ Anna's voice came from far away, could barely be heard over the thundering of Elsa's heartbeat in her ears. Did Anna always look… wavy? Swaying? _Elsa?_

Then, a man's voice. His voice. _Elsa…_

 _Elsa…_

 _Elsa!_

"Elsa!" Hands gripped her, tight on her upper arms. She couldn't fight, couldn't make a sound. She was frozen. "Elsa, can you hear me?"

She almost melted with relief. It was Marshall. He had turned her to face him, concern written all over his face. He was stooped so that he could look her in the eye better. She blinked and managed to gasp a breath. The worry lines in Marshall's face lessened, though didn't vanish entirely. He looked over Elsa's shoulder.

"Anna, it's time to go," Marshall said.

"I'm not going anywhere until I get answers," Anna said petulantly. Elsa was sure that if she turned around, her sister would be stomping her foot as she had when they were children.

"You can get them from your parents, not your sister," Marshall said, his voice hard. It was clear that it was not an argument, at least not one that Anna would win. Anna huffed and stormed past them, sparing Elsa a dark glance. The picture was still in her hand. Elsa felt her breath catch.

"Elsa." Marshall's gentle tone brought her attention back to him. "Don't go there right now. Anna's itching for a fight, but let her pick it with your parents."

Elsa nodded vaguely. Marshall sighed and put his arm around her shoulders, steering her out the door and to his car.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked softly. She nodded again.

"Conceal, don't feel," Elsa whispered to herself. She wasn't sure if Marshall heard her or not. _Conceal, don't feel. Conceal, don't feel._

 _Don't let it show._

* * *

"Surprise!"

Anna jumped in shock as Oaken's sprung to life, her friends and family beaming at her and throwing confetti. She looked around in shock, catching Jack's eye who grinned at her. She should have been ecstatic, particularly with the way that she had been treating her friends lately, left behind in the whirlwind that was her romance with Hans. But Anna felt numb. She could feel Elsa's presence behind her, subdued and not quite all there. Whoever was in that picture with her elder sister, he clearly wasn't a fond memory.

But her friends had gone to all this effort to plan a party for her, so Anna forced a smile and went to greet Rapunzel, who was bouncing up and down on her toes. In the corner of her eye, she watched as Marshall lead Elsa to a corner table, as her sister slumped into her seat and seemingly stared at nothing.

"Happy birthday, Anna!" Rapunzel said, smiling brightly. She wrapped Anna in a tight hug, who returned it with less enthusiasm.

"Thanks, Punz. I'm assuming you put this together?" Anna said.

"Jack started it, actually. Elsa, Kristoff, and I helped, though. I was on decoration duty, as you can probably guess," Rapunzel said. At the mention of Elsa, though, Anna's mind was sent in a frenzy once more.

"Anna, are you alright?" Jack's voice was at her shoulder. She turned around to see Jack standing next to her. He handed her a glass of punch, which she took and drank from. "Anna? Did something happen with Elsa?"

"I don't know, to be honest," Anna said hollowly. She tightened her grip on the paper cup in her hand. It crumpled between her fingers.

"Did you say something to her?" Jack asked. He glanced over at where Elsa was, concern etched on his face. Anna registered it but didn't have the brain power to ask any more questions. Her parents had finally come into view, smiles on their faces and a prettily-wrapped gift in her mother's hands.

"Happy birthday, darling," Iduna told her youngest, voice warm. Agnarr grinned next to her. Anna dug into her pocket and produced the picture once more.

"Who is this man?" she demanded. Though it didn't seem possible, her parents reacted worse than Elsa had. The gift fell from Iduna's hands and landed hard on the floor. Agnarr paled considerably and looked around the restaurant. The music still played and conversation still flowed; aside from the five of them standing in the group, no one else realized that something was going on.

"Where did you get that picture?" Agnarr asked.

"Answer the question, Papa," Anna said.

"Anna, what is that?" Rapunzel sounded confused. She could join the club as far as Anna was concerned.

"Anna, darling," Iduna said, her voice unnaturally high and a little faint, "this is your birthday party. Surely, you don't want to make a scene? Put the picture up."

"Who is in the picture with Elsa? And why did she look like she'd seen a ghost when I asked her about it?" Anna persisted. Her parents looked over at Elsa, who was still sitting at the table with Marshall. Eli had joined them and had a soothing hand on her shoulder. She held a cup between both of her hands and stared, unseeing, into the liquid.

"You showed it to Elsa?" Iduna asked at the same time Agnarr demanded, "What did she say?"

"Agnarr," Iduna admonished.

"We've discussed this before, Iduna," Agnarr replied hotly.

"What is going on?" Rapunzel asked. She turned to her cousin. "Anna?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Anna said.

"Is Elsa okay?" Rapunzel asked. Jack turned on his heel and headed over to the young woman in question before anyone could answer.

"Mama, Papa, you're beginning to worry me. It's a picture. Why all this secrecy?" Anna practically begged.

"It's nothing, Anna," Agnarr said finally. Iduna looked at her husband like she would like to argue but ultimately nodded.

"He's right. It's just a picture from a long time ago. Let it go," her mother agreed. Anna grinded her teeth together.

"Oh, no. No, no, no. You don't get to act like this photo is some big conspiracy only to tell me that it's nothing. Why has Elsa suddenly gone catatonic over it? Why did you guys look so freaked out? What the hell is going on, and why won't anyone tell me?" Anna demanded. By now, the other guests of the party had caught on to the family argument. The music was still on, but all conversation had ceased and all eyes were on them.

"This is a party. Let's act like it, and drop this ridiculous subject," Agnarr said.

"It's not ridiculous!" Anna yelled. "Tell me the truth!" On the side of the restaurant, Jack was ushering Elsa out through the staff door, held open by Kristoff. He gave her a quick look of concern, but his gaze was quickly drawn to her younger sister in the middle of the diner. Anna stood firm in front of her parents, unwavering despite the attention she was gathering.

"Anna, you're making a scene. Don't you want to have a nice time at your party?" Iduna kept trying to mediate. Agnarr, however, was getting upset with his daughter.

"This is not how you talk to me," he declared. "You will show me some respect."

"Why? You don't show me any!"

"I will when you earn it!"

"And when did you earn mine? I don't have to bow down to you just because you're my father!"

"That's it!" Agnarr thundered. "The party is over! Anna, we're leaving." He stormed out of the diner, his wife following behind while attempting to calm him down. Anna stood in her spot for a moment, her fists clenched at her sides. She looked at the picture once more. The smirk on the man's face settled heavily in her gut. She needed answers.

She followed her parents out of the door.

"Well, uh," Rapunzel began, standing awkwardly in the wake of the argument. The guests—friends and family both new and old, like Flynn Rider and Merida—stared at her expectantly. "The diner is paid for, so… enjoy, I guess?"

The guests looked at each other with uncertainty, but proceeded to eat the food anyway. Kristoff walked up to Rapunzel after a few minutes.

"What the hell was that?" he asked. Rapunzel kept a smile painted on her face, but her eyes were uncomfortably wide.

"I have no idea."

* * *

The fresh air hit Elsa like a slap to the face. She gulped in a breath before she realized what she was doing, realized how little she had been breathing since she had seen that picture.

"Elsa, are you okay?"

Elsa turned. It was Jack, staring at her worriedly. A shudder worked its way through her body before she could stop it. Jack's hands shot out as if to catch her but awkwardly dropped back to his side. They were both just standing there, not knowing what to do or say to each other.

Elsa struggled to focus on his face. She traced his features from top to bottom, the slope of his nose to the point of his chin. Traditionally handsome, but still something almost elfin in his face, a hint of mischief. Blue eyes like sapphires, with the depths of the ocean. White hair that fell onto his forehead, as if to emphasize his boyishness. Did he dye his hair? Elsa realized she didn't know.

His mouth was forming words now. Was he saying something? Elsa couldn't hear anything but her pulse; it was beating in her ears.

"Elsa!" Both of his hands were on her shoulders, shaking her. Elsa dimly wondered where Marshall was that he was letting Jack handle her like this, but at the same time, she didn't quite care. No one touched her like this. No one touched her, period.

"Yes?" she finally answered.

"What's going on?" Jack asked. His hands were still on her shoulders. His face was close to hers, maybe less than a foot away. She was struck by the sudden urge to get closer to him, surprising her greatly. She longed to lose herself in his embrace. Let him wrap his arms around her, bury her face in his neck, feel his heartbeat against her own. She shook her head to dispel those strange, yet not unpleasant, thoughts.

Through the front doors, her parents appeared, Anna following shortly after. They made a bee-line for the car, though none of them appeared to exchange words. Elsa's breath caught in her throat. Were they going to tell Anna, finally, after all these years? Elsa looked back at Jack.

"Nothing," she said. "Thank you. Excuse me. I… I have to go." Elsa turned to leave. Behind her, she could see Marshall and Eli standing by their car. They apparently had followed her out. But before she could take another step, Elsa looked over her shoulder at Jack once more. "Thank you. Really." She left before he could say anything.

* * *

 **So I totally forgot that I had this chapter to write** _ **before**_ **the big reveal, but it is definitely next chapter. You probably know anyway. But still.**

 **Thanks for reading, seriously. I appreciate every follow, favorite, and review. I appreciate the knowledge that what I'm writing is interesting and means something to people, so thank you. From the bottom of my heart 3**

 **~Isabelle**


	14. The Dark I Know Well, Part 1

**TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF CHILD MOLESTATION/CHILD ABUSE. It doesn't go into detail, but this chapter is centered around the topic. Please keep yourselves safe. You know your triggers better than I do.**

 **Thank you for reading this story. It means the world to me.**

 **~Isabelle**

* * *

 _I don't scream, though I know it's wrong_

 _I just play along_

 _I lie there and breathe_

 _Lie there and breathe_

~The Dark I Know Well, Spring Awakening

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: The Dark I Know Well, Part 1

 _She cried out as she landed wrong on the ice. Her ankle crumpled underneath her and she fell to the ground. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she struggled to hold them back. She couldn't show any weakness, even during practice, even to her parents. Especially to her parents._

 _The coach skated up to her and knelt down beside her. "Hey, Little Snowflake, it's okay. We'll get it checked out for you." He put his hand on her ankle, the bare skin of his palm meeting the fabric of her tights for which she was grateful. She was less grateful as the hand rubbed up and down. What might have been a soothing gesture from most adults filled her with dread, the copper taste of pennies in the back of her throat._

 _Unbidden, tears spilled down her cheeks._

" _Come now, no tears. What do we say, Elsa? Conceal..."_

 _She took a shuddering breath. "Conceal, don't feel. Don't let it show."_

 _He smiled as he helped her to her feet, wrapping his arm around her waist. In a few minutes, he would take her off of the ice and to the physical therapist's office, would get her ice and hold it to her ankle while her parents took their time getting to the rink. He would be nice and kind and gentle, like he was when they first met. He would be the kind of man that her parents thought he was, the one that he played whenever people were watching. But right now, he let his fingers drift. She shuddered with revulsion. Her tears came faster, hotter on her skin._

 _He was a monster, but only to her._

 _Conceal, don't feel. Don't let it show. Conceal, don't feel. Don't let it show. Conceal, don't feel._

 _Don't let it show._

 _And she didn't._

* * *

Elsa bolted up in bed, breathing hard. The nightmares were getting worse, and she couldn't stop them. She couldn't stop the memories that came with them. She couldn't stop anything.

The first time Elsa met Duke Weselton, she was four years old. Her parents had taken her and Anna to the skating rink, though it was Anna's first time skating at only one year old. Elsa was towing Anna along after her, the two girls giggling uncontrollably. To make Anna laugh more, Elsa let go to do a series of twirls, making her skirt flow around her. After a few more minutes of skating, Elsa skated Anna back to their parents, where a short man was talking to them.

Iduna looked over at the girls, her eyes bright. "Elsa, this is Duke Weselton. He's a figure skating coach." Anna squealed happily and fell down on her bottom. Elsa looked at the man with a little confusion. He knelt down beside her and smiled kindly.

"You've got real talent, Elsa. I'd like to help you become a better skater. Teach you moves and routines, enroll in skating competitions. Would you like that?" he said. Elsa thought about it a moment. She looked over at her parents who were beaming proudly. She looked back to the man.

"Okay," she'd said.

Now, Elsa shook her head furiously. "No, no, no, no, no!"

* * *

 _It was after her first competition. She had won first place, and her parents were ridiculously happy. Iduna was clearly meant to be a show mother._

" _I'm so proud of you, Elsa! Why don't we go get pizza to celebrate?" she offered. Elsa enthusiastically agreed and went into the dressing room to change out of her costume. Usually, Iduna went with her, but Agnarr was unable to come and Anna had been having a meltdown. But Elsa knew it would be fine._

I'm a big girl, Mama, _she said,_ I can change by myself.

 _She had just unzipped the zipper, with great difficulty, when she felt him behind her._

Coach? _Elsa whipped around, confused._

 _He smiled kindly at her._ I thought you could use some help.

You're not supposed to be in here.

Don't worry. It can be our little secret, Elsa. Wouldn't that be fun?

 _Elsa stood powerless as he stepped closer to her. She couldn't form words, make sounds, anything. She just stood there, frozen._

Let's play a game, _he told her._ It's called, 'Conceal, Don't Feel.' We don't want anyone to know about this, do we?

 _Numbly, Elsa shook her head. She let him pull out her clothes, dress her in the t-shirt and leggings her mother had picked out earlier in the day. He acted as if nothing had happened. And if he said nothing happened, then did anything really happen? Who would believe her?_

 _It was best to conceal it and hope that it never happened again. But of course it did._

* * *

Elsa forced herself out of her bed. It was early in the morning, still dark out. She felt stifled, constricted in her bedroom, in the house. But she knew she wasn't allowed outside without Marshall, and she didn't want to worry him. Panic attacks happened; she could handle them.

Elsa hurried downstairs to the kitchen. She pulled open cabinet doors, unable to remember which one held the glasses. Finally, she found it. She grabbed a glass, clear and crystalline, and filled it to the brim with water from the faucet. She drank greedily, water dribbling down her chin.

It wasn't enough.

Elsa refilled the cup and drained it once more. Then again. She didn't think she could stand any more water, but she was so thirsty. Was she usually this thirsty? She set the glass down on the counter and sank to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest and burying her head in her hands.

Quietly, without warning, Elsa began to sob.

* * *

 _Weselton never touched her when her parents were around. He was smart enough for that. He was very smart about it, to get away with it for nearly four years. He convinced Elsa that what he was doing was shameful for_ her _, that her parents would be mad at her if she ever told. So they played the game, "Conceal, Don't Feel," and it continued. Elsa was very good at the game._

 _She continued to improve in her skating career, winning nearly every competition she partook in. A part of her believed that if she won, maybe Weselton would leave her alone, but that was never the case._

 _As the years passed and Anna grew older, Elsa began to notice Weselton's attention shifting. Anna wasn't as good on the ice as Elsa, didn't even really want to get on the ice unless Elsa was there with her, but Weselton was convincing._

She just needs some lessons, and she'll be right up there with Elsa. Can you imagine the skating duo, two sisters? _He painted a picture that their parents loved. But Elsa knew what he was really doing. He was beginning to groom Anna the way he had Elsa._

 _And while Elsa may not have had enough strength to save herself, she had more than enough to protect her baby sister._

* * *

There were footsteps.

Elsa managed to calm down, to regain control of her breath. When she finally looked up from her hands, she saw Anna standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Her younger sister stared at her in concern, worry etched into every feature of her face.

"Elsa?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Elsa said. Anna said nothing. She simply walked into the kitchen and slid down beside Elsa. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Elsa's breath caught every now and then, her body wanting to break down once more, but she managed to stay calm. She didn't want to worry Anna anymore than she already had.

Unfortunately, Anna was plenty worried. "Elsa, what happened?"

Elsa wasn't sure what Anna was referring to. What happened today, at Anna's birthday party? At the house beforehand? What happened last week, last month? What happened all those years ago? What happened to Weselton, what happened to their family, what happened to her?

Elsa wasn't sure, if she was being honest.

* * *

 _It broke when Elsa saw Weselton put his hand on Anna's lower back. Elsa screamed and ran at him, hitting him repeatedly and yelling for him not to touch her. Their parents were confounded, until Elsa finally admitted what had been happening for years._

 _Two days later, Duke Weselton was arrested and being held without bond, thanks to her father's influence._

 _Elsa saw therapists. They talked to her about what happened. Gave her dolls to 'show where the bad man touched her' and other things like that. Elsa hated those therapists, but she knew that she had to do it. She knew that she had to be honest if she didn't want Weselton to get Anna. So Elsa told them everything that she could remember, described it in detail. The worst part was when it went to trial, and she had to tell it in front of all of those people, especially the mean lawyer who acted like she was a stupid kid._

 _When Weselton was sentenced to life in prison, Iduna wept. Agnarr seemed to age ten years. And Anna had no idea what was happening. She wasn't allowed to attend the court sessions. That was fine with Elsa; she didn't want Anna to see her like this anyway._

 _It was after the trial, after the courts and the therapy and everything, that Elsa's parents came to her and sat her down. They told her that they thought it would be best if she was sent to a boarding school in Europe, one that would allow her to focus on her school work and her skating career without outside distractions. It was all girls._

We think it will help you heal _, Agnarr said. Iduna agreed silently, nodding her head. Not knowing what to say, Elsa allowed it. She was only eight years old. Who was she to deny her parents? And it would be best for Anna, to be away from Elsa. Fucked up Elsa, the girl who had been sexually abused and kept it hidden. They both needed a new life: Elsa needed to feel safe, and Anna needed someone who could keep her safe._

* * *

"Anna," Elsa croaked, shaking away the memories. Why were they all coming back all of a sudden? Why couldn't they stay buried behind the dam, as they always were? "Please, you don't know what you're asking."

Anna huffed. Elsa knew that that wasn't the answer that she was looking for.

"Why are you being so secretive? You and Mama and Papa. Just tell me what's going on," Anna demanded. Tears gathered in the corners of Elsa's eyes.

"I can't," she said. Elsa got to her feet. She spared one last, sad look at Anna before walking back upstairs to her room. Once there, she picked up her phone and called the one person who had been there for her, no matter what, the past ten years.

* * *

 _Elsa had flown all the way to Arendelle Academy by herself. Her parents hadn't been able to come with her, as they'd insisted that Anna not go as well. Elsa was fine with it. It had been a long time since she had had to grow up; what was one international trip without her parents?_

 _A school chaperone picked her up from the airport. It was a kind lady with long brown hair who introduced herself as Elinor._

I have a daughter your age, _she told Elsa conversationally as they picked up her bags and carried them through the airport._ She's much more tomboyish. Maybe she can learn a thing or two from you.

 _Elsa said nothing, just as she was taught. She was polite and proper, with perfect posture as her skating background dictated. The lady seemed a little strange, but Elsa liked her all the same. She was beginning to feel somewhat comfortable as they approached the woman's car. That was when the girl with the brilliant red hair jumped out._

Mam, you said this wouldn't take long! _The girl complained. Elsa started, surprised at the sudden appearance and the voluminous amount of hair. The girl's head looked like a cartoon sun, her red mane the rays around the sunshine face. Though the face was usually smiling happily instead of scowling._

Merida, that is not how we greet people. This is Elsa. Say hello _, Elinor ordered. The girl huffed and turned to Elsa. She gave her an appraising look._

Who are you supposed to be? _She asked. Elsa was slightly confused, as Elinor had just said her name, but shrugged it off._

I'm Elsa Winters _, she told the girl, Merida. Merida huffed again and looked up to the sky in exasperation._

No, I mean, who are you supposed to be? Like, what are you going to do? _Merida asked._

 _Elsa stared at her inquisitively. Merida sighed once more._

Like, I'm an archer, though Mam made me enroll as a figure skater. I don't really like it though. What do you do? _Merida said. Elsa relaxed. This she could handle._

I'm a figure skater, too _, she said proudly. Yet, as soon as she said it, she froze. Did these people know about Weselton? Were they going to ask her questions? Was she going to have to do another trial? Would she ever get away from her past?_

Ah, that makes sense why Mam picked you up then _, Merida said simply, with no acknowledgement of Elsa's dark past. She probably doesn't know, Elsa realized._ You don't know anyone here, do you?

No, _Elsa said. Merida pursed her lips in thought, then nodded once as if deciding something._

That settles it, then. We're friends, _she said, as if there was no doubt about it. Elsa didn't find herself wanting to argue, however. In fact, she felt a wave of relief wash over her. Friends. Her first friend. Her only friend, really, aside from Anna._

 _Elinor came back then, having been packing Elsa's things into the trunk of her car._

Well, lassie, are you ready to go see your new home? _Elinor asked. Elsa looked over at Merida, her friend, who gave her an encouraging smile._

 _Elsa smiled at Elinor._ Yes, I am.

* * *

The best thing about Merida was that she didn't ask questions. Eventually, Elsa told Merida about what had happened to her as a child, and Merida had responded by threatening to beat the creep to a pulp. The knowledge that he was in jail for life did not deter her.

But when Elsa called her at four in the morning, Merida simply invited her over. She kept the door unlocked, ushered her into the family room, and turned on some trashy reality show and sat Elsa down on the sofa. She let her friend use her shoulder as a pillow, her pajama sleeve becoming wet with tears. And yet, Merida said nothing, simply let her friend cry herself to sleep.

Once the hour turned later, she sent a text to Marshall, letting him know where Elsa was. She also sent a message to her mother, urging her to give Elsa a break for the day. For some reason, the memories were back and worse than ever. And once Elsa was okay to talk about it, Merida would be there to listen.


	15. If I Could Tell Her

_If I could tell her_

 _Tell her everything I see_

 _If I could tell her_

 _How she's everything to me_

 _But we're a million worlds apart_

 _And I don't know where I would even start_

 _If I could tell her_

~If I Could Tell Her, Dear Evan Hansen

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: If I Could Tell Her

When Elsa woke again, she was lying on a couch in a strange room. It took a few moments for her to orient herself, for her to remember coming to Merida for comfort in the midst of her nightmares and memories. Elsa let out a breath and sat up, looking around to see if her friend was in the room. Merida was missing, but Elsa assumed that she was probably in the bathroom or getting food from the kitchen.

Elsa picked up her phone from where it was lying on the floor and checked the time: 8:04 am. There were several missed calls from her mother until they mysteriously stopped at 7 am on the dot. Then there was a message from Marshall, stating that Merida had informed him of the situation, that he had informed her parents, and that he would be at the Dunbroch residence soon.

Elsa set her phone down beside her and raised her arms above her head in a stretch. After the events of last night, she was both exhausted and wide awake. She felt restless but deprived of energy. She didn't know what she would do with herself for the day. Take a walk? Go to the archery range with Merida, perhaps? Go to the skating rink? Usually, going to the skating rink always helped, but with the memories of her childhood abuse swirling around in her head, she wasn't sure that doing the moves her former coach had taught her would be beneficial. Maybe she would just sit on the couch all day and watch bad television. What was the show that Anna had taken to mentioning in her emails the past few years? _Love Island_?

Elsa's phone buzzed beside her. She was tempted to ignore it, assuming it was just her mother once more was attempting to get a hold of her, but in the end, she picked it up and looked at the message. It was from Jack.

 _Are you alright? You seemed pretty shaken up yesterday_.

Jack was worried about her. Elsa was confused at the warmth that filled her chest at the thought, at his text. She shook her head and typed out a reply.

 _It's difficult to explain_.

A moment later, he replied: _Do you want to talk about it?_

Elsa paused. Did she want to talk about it? Kind of. She was comfortable talking about it to Merida. She wanted to tell Anna to explain the situation, but at the same time, she didn't want Anna to know about that dark part in her childhood. She was terrified of the information getting out and into the skating community. She was terrified of the thought of articles and interviews. She just wanted to skate.

Merida came into the room then, carrying a plate of pancakes. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," she teased. Elsa attempted a faint smile. At the concerned look on Merida's face, she guessed it didn't work.

"What's wrong, Els?" Merida asked, sitting down beside her. She set the plate down on the coffee table and turned to face Elsa.

Elsa sighed. "I just wish it hadn't happened." She didn't have to elaborate on what _this_ was.

"I think we all wish that," Merida said.

"But not just that, that it was this horrible thing. And it was. But everything that came after it. It's so confusing." Elsa reached for a pancake and began shredding it between her fingers. She stuffed a piece in her mouth, chewing so that she couldn't continue talking.

"What do you mean?" Merida asked. Sometimes, Elsa was surprised at the gentleness Merida handled her with. Sure, she could be rowdy and loud, but when it counted, she knew when to listen and be soft.

"Everything. My parents sending me away. Being separated from Anna. This dark cloud that just… looms over me. Sometimes, I wish that there was this parallel world that I could go to, one where I was never abused and I was normal. I went to public school and met Anna's friends, and they became my friends. I didn't have a bodyguard following my every move. I didn't have a fucking stalker!" Elsa's voice grew as she spoke, her hands tightening around the pancake. It was smashed inside her fists, but she didn't care. All of a sudden, she let out a giant breath and let the pancake drop to the coffee table. Her hands fell to her knees, and she hugged them to her chest. "But then these other great things wouldn't have happened. I wouldn't have met you, wouldn't be on my way to the Olympics."

"You don't know that," Merida said. "You're so talented. Mam would have found you eventually."

"But you don't know that," Elsa argued. "I just hate feeling like I… like that had to happen to me in order to be the person I am today."

"But that's not what made you the person you are today," Merida said. Elsa groaned and let her head drop to her knees.

"I don't know. I really don't know," Elsa said. Her phone buzzed again, the message Jack sent her lighting up the screen. Had it only been two minutes?

"Jack? That's Anna's friend, isn't it?" Merida asked. Elsa looked up and hoped dearly that her face was a normal color.

"Yes, we're friends as well. At least, I think we are. He helped me out yesterday, at Anna's party," Elsa said. She glanced down at her hands, her intertwined fingers. She heard the smirk in Merida's voice when she next spoke.

"Friends, eh? Is he why you haven't been spending as much time with me?"

Elsa shot her friend a look. "It's barely been three weeks!"

Merida snorted. "I'm kidding, Els! Though, clearly, you're a little sensitive when it comes to this 'Jack.'"

"No, I'm not!" Elsa said hotly. Merida laughed loudly.

"Okay, okay! Fine!" She sobered slightly and looked down at Elsa's phone. "Are you going to answer him?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Elsa mumbled, face to her knees once more.

"What's holding you back?"

"I don't know what to say."

"In the text?"

"No! To him… what am I supposed to tell him? And what do I tell him that he won't tell Anna?" Elsa asked. Her thoughts began to spiral once more. Merida took her friend by the shoulders. She forced Elsa to look her in the eyes.

"You tell him what you want to. Nothing more," she said firmly. Elsa nodded and picked up her phone to ask Jack to meet her.

* * *

Merida had only been gone a few minutes, having dropped Elsa back off at home, when Jack's car pulled into the driveway. Elsa sat on the front steps of her porch, looking at the street. Every once in a while, a car would drive past. The street wasn't extremely busy in the residential neighborhood, but Elsa enjoyed the movement nevertheless. She watched as Jack got out of his car and made his way to her. He stopped a few feet away from her and nervously nodded his head at the step below her.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked. Elsa nodded her assent. Jack sat down. He took a breath, then turned to face her.

"I can't explain everything," Elsa began, "for a few reasons. One is that I don't like talking about it. It makes me nervous and gives me nightmares. You probably noticed that yesterday, though. Another is that you're Anna's best friend, and… Anna doesn't know any of this."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"I mean that she was really little when everything happened, and my parents decided that it would be best that she didn't know. And I don't want you to feel torn between keeping my secret and telling your best friend something," Elsa said.

"Okay, first of all, I keep secrets from Anna. Only important ones, but I keep secrets. Just because we're best friends doesn't mean we tell each other about other people's business. Second of all, you don't have to tell me anything," Jack said earnestly.

"I know. That's why I want to, at least a little," Elsa said. She looked down at her hands, gathering up the courage to begin the story. She jumped when she saw Jack's hand lay on top of her own, felt the warmth and pressure of his palm over her skin.

"I think I can guess. You don't have to talk about it," Jack said softly. Tears sprung to her eyes. Elsa willed them down, but one escaped anyway. She took in a harsh breath.

"It was that old skating rink, the one that was torn down," Elsa said. "And the coach who worked there. He's in jail now." Jack nodded, eyes never straying from her face.

"Why can't you tell Anna? She's an adult now. She can handle it, and she's concerned about you."

Elsa bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. "I know. I _know_. But I can't. My parents won't let me."

"Seriously?" Jack raised an unimpressed eyebrow. Elsa fumed.

"Don't 'seriously' me. You don't know what it's like. You have no idea what I've been through. You don't know the therapy, the counselors, the family sessions with my mother and father. None of it worked. That's why I was sent away. Because they couldn't handle their guilt at never figuring out something was wrong. They didn't want to see the shell of their perfect daughter, so they pretended that I was just so perfect that some fancy boarding school wanted me. And then I did become that perfect. I became that perfect so that everything that had happened before would disappear. Who cared what happened to me when I was four if I could go to the Olympics at age twenty-two? I could bury it. And bury the little girl with it. I am what they made me into. Arendelle Academy, the perfect skater. My parents, the perfect daughter. But I'm not perfect. It hurts so much. And what hurts the most is that I have to hide it all from Anna and be the perfect sister."

Elsa laughed bitterly. "But of course, I was never the perfect sister. Anna hates me, and I don't blame her. God, you think that I want to keep this a secret from her? To lie to her and treat her like a child? It's not my choice, but God, what I'd give to tell her… to tell her that I never wanted to leave. That I wish I could've been the big sister she deserved. The one who was always there, both physically and emotionally. I would give it all up—the trophies, the fame, my skating, everything. None of it matters in comparison to her. But I can't… and even if I could, she wouldn't understand. Not why I hid it this long."

"Elsa…" Jack said. He didn't say anything else, at a loss for words. Elsa looked up at him, tears in her eyes. She didn't bother to stop them from falling this time.

"Tell me how to fix it, Jack," she said. "Tell me how to fix everything, and I'll do it. I'd do anything for my sister. But I've already lost her. I lost her before I came back. Hans was the final shovel of dirt over our sisterly relationship, but I was the one who dug the grave. It's too late, isn't it?"

"If you just told her…" Jack began, knowing that it wouldn't make a difference. Anna had been pulling away from Elsa for a while. Neither sister had realized it was all.

"If I told her, she'd hate me even more." Elsa sighed, then stood up. Jack's hand fell back to his side. She gave him a weak smile.

"Well, I hope this answered your question," she said and turned to go inside her house.

"Are you alright? Really?" Jack asked. Elsa stood with her back to him, hand on the front door. She let out a humorless laugh.

"Of course not. But I'll live. I always do." She went inside and locked the door behind her.


	16. When Your Feet Don't Touch, Part 2

**Hi everyone! Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I'll try to make it up with the next one (and a sooner one at that!)**

 **Anyways, I hope you like the chapter! Enjoy!**

 **~Isabelle**

* * *

 _I may be young but I can still remember_

 _Feeling full of joy, crying tears of laughter_

 _Now all my tears are all cried out_

 _Make believe but count me out_

~When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground, Finding Neverland

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground, Part 2

Whenever Anna missed Elsa, there was a specific memory that she would draw on to make her feel better. Yes, she missed Elsa all of the time, but this memory was for those moments when it hurt so bad that she could hardly breathe. Anna would think of the first time Elsa won a competition—at least, the first time Anna remembered Elsa winning a competition.

Elsa had skated beautifully, to a haunting song that had made their mother cry. She looked radiant in her sparkly costume, her tutu skirt still fluttering around her legs as she finished her final spin. As she skated around the rink for her bows, Mama had picked Anna up and they'd gone down to greet Elsa as her scores were announced. They were the highest of the day, obviously. But as Elsa went out to get her trophy, she'd grabbed Anna's hands and pulled her along. Anna hadn't been wearing skates, but Elsa was practically holding her so it was alright. Elsa had gotten her trophy and beamed brilliantly at Anna.

"This is because of you, Anna," she'd said. "I skate for you."

Anna kept those words close to her heart, especially as the years passed and Elsa remained far away. Now that Elsa was back, Anna supposed she should have been ecstatic. And she was at first, but then she remembered the hurt of all of the missing years. And now that damned photograph, which had somehow mysteriously disappeared from her possession.

Anna stomped downstairs to the kitchen the morning after her birthday. Both of her parents were still sitting at the counter, drinking coffee and sharing a newspaper.

"You're up early, Anna," her father said, glancing up at her and smiling. Anna didn't return it.

"Where's the picture?" she demanded.

"What picture?" Agnarr turned a page in his newspaper.

"The one I found yesterday, the one with Elsa and that man."

"I have no idea, Anna."

"Papa!"

"Anna, dear," Iduna cut in, shooting her husband a look. "We don't think it's healthy for you to have that picture or to worry about it. It's in the past, so why dwell on it?"

"What's in the past?" Anna begged. She just wanted to understand the big secret. She wanted the nasty feeling in her stomach to go away. She wanted her parents to assure her that her worst fears weren't true, and that that man was just some family friend. But they weren't doing that, and Anna needed to know the truth of what happened with her sister.

Her parents said nothing to her question. Anna practically growled in frustration.

"Where's Elsa?" Anna asked. It was unlikely that she would answer Anna's questions either, given what happened yesterday, but maybe if Anna asked just the right ones…

"She's with Merida. I think they're having a girls day," Iduna said. Anna was skeptical. Merida definitely didn't seem the type, and Elsa was far too practical to waste a day on frivolous activities.

"A girls day? Really?" she asked.

"Shouldn't you be studying?" Agnarr said.

"It's summer."

"It's never too early to start studying."

Anna groaned, knowing that she would get nowhere else with her parents. And that was fine. If they didn't want to tell her, then Anna would find out the truth on her own.

* * *

Rapunzel, her kind and giving cousin, was more than willing to help out.

"I just want to know what happened," Anna told her. Rapunzel nodded knowingly and put a comforting arm around the strawberry-blonde.

"Of course you do. I remember how upset the two of you were when Elsa left for Europe. You cried to me on the phone for weeks," Rapunzel said. That sounded like herself, Anna thought.

"So what's our first move?" Anna asked.

"I say we go back to the attic and try to find more evidence," Rapunzel suggested. Anna agreed. As the only two in the house, with both of her parents off at work, they made their way to the attic and took their time looking through everything Anna had gone through the previous day. Unfortunately, they found nothing.

"It's like the photo was a fluke or something," Anna complained, throwing herself backwards on the ground. "Like they erased history."

"Anna," Rapunzel said softly, "what is it exactly that you're trying to prove?"

Anna rolled onto her side and looked at her cousin with teary eyes. "I don't know. I have a bad feeling, and I want to be wrong so badly. But the more I look into it, the more I feel like I'm not. The more I feel like something terrible happened, and they're all hiding it from me…" Anna trailed off, then sat up suddenly and banged her fist on the ground. "And that's so fucking ridiculous! I'm nineteen years old! What is so horrible that they won't tell me? Why is this such a big secret?"

Before Rapunzel could respond, the sound of a door slam reached up to them. Anna looked up at her cousin.

"That must be Elsa," she said. She was on her feet and down the attic stairs before Rapunzel could blink. "Elsa!"

Anna rushed downstairs to the foyer. Her sister was standing with her back against the door, face flushed and full of emotion. Anna slowed down. "Elsa? Is everything alright?"

Elsa blinked and looked at her sister. Her face smoothed over instantly. "Oh, yes. Everything's fine. I'm going to go lie down. I had a long night." Elsa moved past Anna and walked upstairs, nodding a quiet hello to Rapunzel on the way. Anna rushed the doorway to look out the window. Standing on their porch, looking a little lost, was Jack. Anna quickly unlocked the door and threw it open.

"Elsa?" he asked, looking up. His face fell when he saw Anna, if only for a moment, before smiling. "Oh, hey, Anna."

"What did Elsa say to you? What did you say to Elsa? What did you two say to each other?" Anna demanded, firing questions off one after the other. Rapunzel came up behind her and folded her arms, as if to she was her bodyguard.

"I didn't say anything… she didn't say anything… _we_ didn't say anything," Jack said. Anna gave him a disbelieving look.

"Oh, really?"

"Really, Anna."

Anna huffed. "Cut the bullshit, Jackson."

"Now you want to talk?" Jack said, throwing his hands up. Anna reeled back.

"Excuse me?"

"You've been ignoring me ever since you started dating that Hans guy!"

"What, and you're jealous?"

"No, I'm not jealous! I'm hurt!"

"Hurt?"

"You missed Best Friend Friday Breakfast! You're asking me to lie for you! You're treating me like a means to an end, not your best friend," Jack said. Anna blinked, surprised.

"And now you demand answers from me that aren't mine to give. If you want to know what's going on with Elsa, ask her," Jack continued. Anna deflated.

"Don't you think I've tried?" The fire had left her, though, so what was meant to be a shout came out as a whimper. Anna wrapped her arms around herself and turned away.

"Anna…" Jack sighed and pulled her into his arms. "Anna, it's okay."

Anna sniffled. "No, it's not. Everyone knows what's going on except for me."

"I have no idea what's going on," Rapunzel offered. Jack shot her a look. Anna let out a small laugh and laid her head on Jack's chest.

"I'm sorry I haven't been the best friend lately, you guys," Anna said after a moment. "You deserve better. It was a shitty thing to do."

"Yeah," Rapunzel said, shrugging, "but we still love you." She stepped forward and joined the hug, wrapping her arms around Anna from behind.

"I just… I just want to understand what's going on with Elsa," Anna said. Jack tightened his arms around her and rested his head on top of hers.

"She'll tell you when she's ready," Jack said. "I know she will."

Anna said nothing, only burrowed further into her friends' embrace. For now, this would have to be enough.


	17. The Dark I Know Well, Part 2

**Here's the latest chapter! Again, it's kind of short, so sorry about that! But I hope to have another chapter posted soon. Stay tuned! Please favorite, follow, and review!**

 **Thanks!  
~Isabelle**

* * *

 _I wanna be strong_

 _I want the world to find out_

 _That you're dreamin' on me_

 _Me and my "beauty"_

 _Me and my "beauty"_

~The Dark I Know Well, Spring Awakening

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: The Dark I Know Well, Part 2

Elsa thought she had known pain—everything with Weselton, leaving her family, even spraining her ankle when she was twelve. But none of that compared to this feeling overtaking her. She could barely get out of bed; she didn't eat, barely drank. Something was wrong, but she couldn't pinpoint it. So she just stayed in bed and willed the tears to stay at bay.

Marshall had taken to working from home, partly at Elsa's insistence. She wasn't going anywhere, not even to skating practice which was driving Elinor nuts. But Elsa couldn't force herself to move, couldn't drag her body the few simple steps to the bathroom unless it was absolutely necessary. The idea of putting on skates and moving for hours made her want to throw up and cry at the same time.

"Maybe you should see someone Elsa," Marshall had gently suggested this morning, doing his usual check-ins. (It's not like he was going to leave her completely unguarded.)

Elsa couldn't form words, so she just shook her head. She was sick of therapists and psychiatrists and hypnotists, even if it was just that one disastrous time. They didn't help. They never helped. How could they help with this?

And to be honest, Elsa wasn't sure that she wanted to be helped. In a way, this felt like karma. Karma for being a bad sister, a bad daughter, a bad friend. She should've been stronger, fought harder—but fought harder against who? Weselton? Her parents? Everyone?

Why had she never been angry at the world? Why had she never raged and screamed and let it all out? Why did she take everything they handed to her, accepted it without question? Elsa had long ago made her peace with everything that happened with Weselton, but had she made her peace with her parents?

Elsa thought back to phone calls to them, begging to come home.

"It's cold," she remembered saying once, "and I miss you and Anna. Please, Papa, Mama, can I come home?"

"It's best if you stay at Arendelle, Elsa." Her father's voice was apologetic but firm. No amount of asking had swayed them.

She had spent weeks crying herself to sleep in that small dorm room on the opposite side of the world, aching for her family. The ache intensified when she couldn't curl up beside Anna's small, warm body and smell her baby smell, something she often did when things with Weselton got too bad. Anna was always there for her, even if she didn't realize it.

Elsa rolled over in bed and sighed, curled up into a ball. The ache was there again, but much worse this time. Why was it worse? She was home! Nothing bad had happened, so far. What was wrong with her? Why was she incapable of being happy?

Elsa twisted and turned in her sheets for what felt like hours. Finally, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she said, her voice soft and hoarse. Maybe she should drink some water. Elsa looked up as the door opened and her parents walked in, concern written on their faces.

"Elsa, darling, what's going on?" Iduna asked. "It's been days, and you haven't left your room." She sat down on the bed, the mattress dipping under her weight. Agnarr stood behind his wife, hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know," Elsa answered honestly. Tears welled in her eyes, hot and fast and unbidden.

"Darling." Iduna reached for her eldest daughter, but Elsa flinched away.

"Please…" Elsa whispered. "Don't touch me." Iduna's arms fell to her sides. Agnarr tightened his hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"Elsa, what's brought all of this on?" he asked. Elsa stared at him, then moved to sit up.

"Seriously?" she demanded.

"Seriously what?"

"You know what's happened!"

"Elsa, do not yell at your father!" Iduna scolded. Elsa glared at her parents.

"Now you want to tell me what to do?" she yelled.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Agnarr asked.

"You shipped me off to some boarding school for ten years!" Elsa exploded. It was all too much, begging to come out. For once, she was going to let it. "You barely called or Skyped or anything! I barely saw you; I barely saw Anna! You sent me away from my family for half of my life! And because of what? Because I was molested? How would that help? How would that help anything at all?"

Her parents stared at her, shocked.

"And now, you just expect me to act like everything is alright. I'm not allowed to breathe a word to Anna about it. You treat this stalker like an inconvenience when it could cost me my life. You treat me like a… like a bomb or something! Like I'm going to go off and kill everything that you actually love."

"Elsa, we love you!" Iduna said. Elsa drew in a ragged breath, fought down a bitter laugh.

"You don't fucking act like it," she snapped. She threw off the covers of her bed and got to her feet. She ignored her parents' protests as she looked for shoes, shoving her feet into them. She stormed out of her room and down the stairs, their voices following her all the while. She didn't stop until she was out of the house, the front door slamming behind her.

* * *

Elsa didn't know how long she was gone for. She had forgotten to grab her phone when she'd left the house, so time meant nothing to her. She just watched the sun go down in the sky and returned home once it got too dark to see in more than five feet in front of her.

Elsa walked through the entrance, careful to shut the door quietly behind her. Apparently, it didn't matter.

"Elsa?" Her father's voice came from the study. She sighed and headed that way, knowing that it was best to get this over with. She pushed open the heavy door to see her father at his desk, her mother reading in a chair near his.

"Elsa, thank God!" Iduna cried, setting her book aside and standing up. She moved to embrace her daughter, but once more, Elsa flinched away.

"Where were you?" Agnarr's voice was low and dangerous.

"Walking," Elsa answered.

"Really?" Agnarr looked at her. "That's all you have to say for yourself?"

"I said everything I needed to earlier. It's not my fault you didn't listen," Elsa said.

"Elsa!" Agnarr thundered.

"I don't know what you want from me!"

"I want you to act like the daughter I know you are!"

"What daughter? The one you sent away? The good girl that you knew? I'm not that girl anymore, Father!"

"We sent you away for your own good! You know this!"

"Enough!" Elsa snapped. "I'm sick of going in circles. You sent me away, and I can't change that. But we can change something now."

"What do you want to change?" Iduna asked, stepping forward between her husband and her daughter.

"Explain things to Anna," Elsa said.

"No." Agnarr shut the idea down immediately.

"She deserves to know the truth," Elsa argued.

"Anna doesn't need to know the truth. She doesn't need that on her mind. What good will it do?" Iduna asked.

"Because she wants to know the truth. I'm tired of hiding who I am from her," Elsa said.

"You're not hiding anything," Agnarr said tiredly.

"I'm hiding everything! What is the harm in telling her?"

"What is the harm in keeping it from her?"

"She wants to know the truth!"

"She doesn't need to know the truth!" Agnarr said.

"Agnarr," Iduna said. "Maybe we should consider it. You saw how upset Anna was the other day."

"It's for the best," Agnarr said, the heat leaving his voice. "We're done here."

"Father—" Elsa began.

"We're done here." Agnarr's voice left no room for argument. Tired and defeated, Elsa left.

* * *

The next morning, Elsa found herself in the kitchen, fixing herself a cup of tea. It was early, so early that the sun had yet to rise. It reminded her of the times before, when she and Anna were children. Anna would come into her room and wake her up, jumping on her elder sister until Elsa would get up.

"The sky's awake, so I'm awake," Elsa whispered to herself, "so we have to play."

"Oh my God." Anna laughed. Elsa whipped around to see her standing in the doorway, arms wrapped tightly around herself. "I forgot about that. God, I must have been so annoying."

"You weren't annoying. You were cute," Elsa said, gripping her mug of tea between her hands. Anna laughed again, quietly, as she stepped further into the kitchen.

"Can't sleep?" Anna asked.

"No." Elsa took a sip from her drink. "You?"

"Not really, no," Anna said. The two sisters stood in silence for a few moments.

"Would you like some tea?" Elsa asked.

"Actually, I think I'll make some hot chocolate, but thanks," Anna said, moving towards the cabinets.

Elsa groaned. "God, I should have thought of that. Now I just have tea."

Anna giggled again, grabbing the hot cocoa mix. "Looks like I'm just the smarter sister."

Elsa said nothing, just smiled and drank her tea as Anna bustled around the kitchen. The sky outside was beginning to lighten, the rays of early morning sunshine filtering in through the windows. Elsa thought about the discussion she'd had with her parents, the past few days of torture and internal strife. Wouldn't it be wonderful to share with her sister? Isn't that what sisters were for, after all?

"Anna," Elsa said. Anna stopped and looked over her shoulder, confused at the tone of her elder sister's voice.

"Yes?"

"I need to tell you something," Elsa said, setting her mug down. "About the picture you found."


	18. When Your Feet Don't Touch, Part 3

**Hello, everyone! Sorry it's been awhile since I updated! I've had some trouble finding inspiration for this story, even though it is all planned out. But with COVID-19, I'm hoping to write more, so hopefully more consistent updates.**

 **This chapter is a little on the short side, but hopefully the next one will be longer. I hope you like it.**

 **Thanks**

 **~Isabelle**

* * *

 _When your feet don't touch the earth_

 _You can't feel the things that hurt_

 _And you're free_

 _There's no need_

 _To come down_

 _When your feet don't touch the ground_

 _When your feet_

 _Don't touch the ground_

~When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground, Finding Neverland

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground, Part 3

"Wait, what?"

The two sisters were up in Elsa's bedroom, each holding their beverage of choice. Elsa sat cross-legged on her bed; Anna was sat beside her, staring intently down at her mug's contents. Elsa had just finished explaining the recent events to Anna and the events from their childhood as well.

Anna looked up at her older sister and repeated the question. "What?" The word was whispered, horrified and despondent at the same time. Elsa set her mug down on the bedside table and shifted to better face the strawberry blonde.

"I know it's a lot to take in." She sighed, looking down at her hands. "Maybe Father was right. I shouldn't have told you."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," Anna said, waving her hands erratically. Elsa took the drink from her and set it down as well. "That's total bullshit."

"Anna!"

"It is! All of this happened to you, and you kept it from me to… what? Protect me? Protect me from what?"

Elsa sighed. "I suppose I just didn't want you to see me differently."

"What?" Anna asked. Elsa sighed again.

"Anna, after everything that happened, I wasn't right. I was severely mentally ill. I blamed myself for what happened, found myself to be complicit. I probably wouldn't have said anything if Weselton hadn't made advances towards you. But I was weak, and afterwards… I just felt…" Elsa struggled to find the words and ultimately settled on the one she hated: "Broken."

Elsa startled as Anna gripped her hand fiercely. She looked up into her younger sister's eyes to see them brimming with tears.

"You are _not_ broken," Anna said, voice ragged. "And you are not weak. Dammit, Elsa, you're the strongest person I know, and this has only proved that. And I get why you didn't tell me, even though it hurts. This was your trauma, your story to tell. I had no right to hold it against you."

"You didn't know," Elsa said, twisting her hand so that it was holding Anna's.

Anna blinked, and the tears overflowed. "Yeah, I didn't."

Elsa found herself fighting back her own tears. "And you have to know that I never wanted to leave you or go to Arendelle Academy. I would've given all of it up if I could've been back here with you."

"I'm just sorry they sent you away."

"Mother and Father did what they thought was best. They didn't know how to handle it either."

"Well, they handled it shittily," Anna said firmly. Elsa couldn't hold back her laugh, but she fixed Anna with a stern glare.

"We can't change what happened. The past is in the past," Elsa said. "But now we're together."

Anna beamed, still crying. "Yeah, together."

* * *

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Elsa asked, eyeing her sister warily. Anna wobbly stood on her skated feet, arms held out for balance. She looked up at her older sister and smiled cheerfully.

"Of course! You haven't skated since the… incident… on my birthday—"

Elsa cut her off. "That has nothing to do with you, Anna."

Anna huffed. "That's not what I'm saying. I just think that you should get back out there."

Elsa sighed but stood up as well, her skates expertly tied on. She held out a hand for Anna and helped her out to the rink. Elsa surveyed the mostly empty ice, occupied by only a few couples and families. It was a slow Monday afternoon, which wasn't necessarily surprising. Still, Elsa's skin crawled at the idea of bumping into someone accidentally, the heat of another person's body, the touch of their skin—

"Elsa?" Anna's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Anna smiled and squeezed her sister's hand. Elsa squeezed it in return and stepped out onto the ice, shoulders hunched in anticipation of… something. She wasn't sure what.

They did a few slow laps around the rink, hands linked together so that Anna wouldn't fall. Elsa took deep breaths, allowing the rhythmic movements of her shoulders rising and falling to soothe her. If she was being honest, this was the most relaxed that Elsa had felt in months. Maybe even years.

"How are you doing?" Anna asked after a few minutes. Elsa glanced over at her sister and gave a soft smile.

"Better. How are you doing?"

"On the ice, better than I expected. In general… I'm not sure."

Elsa frowned. "What do you mean? What's wrong?"

Anna sighed and looked everywhere but at her sister. "It's… it's Hans."

Elsa raised her eyebrows in surprise. Hans was a topic that she had hoped to avoid, but this turn was… interesting.

"What did he do?"

"He hasn't done anything. It's just… I'm not sure. There's just something off."

"What do you mean?"

"Like, he's really secretive about his phone. One time he left it beside me and it buzzed, and I picked it up to see who it was so I could let him know, and he went off on me. Snatched it away and yelled at me for snooping in his things and not trusting him. And all I was trying to do was be a good girlfriend, you know? Most couples share passwords. I told him mine. But I don't know his. But that sounds silly. It's silly, isn't it? I'm being ridiculous," Anna rambled. Elsa frowned.

"I don't know, Anna," she said. "The way he acted seems kind of sketchy."

"I know right!" Anna threw her arms up and wobbled dangerously. Elsa quickly wrapped her arms around her sister to keep her upright. Anna threw her a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

"But…" Elsa was loathe to say this, but she did want Anna to be happy. "Maybe you could talk to him about it?"

Anna blinked. "I thought you didn't like Hans."

"I never said that." She didn't like Hans, but she didn't think she'd said as much to Anna. Anna gave her an unimpressed look. Elsa shrugged. "Most men make me uneasy, Anna. Don't take it personally." There was no need to tell Anna about Hans' subtle threat to Elsa; perhaps she had simply misunderstood the man.

Anna flinched and looped her arm through Elsa's. "Oh. Yeah, that makes sense."

"Yeah," Elsa agreed. The two women were silent again, skating calmly past a couple of energetic children and their frazzled parents.

"But you're not like that with Jack," Anna finally said, breaking the silence. Elsa nodded slowly, turning that statement over in her mind.

"I guess you're right, though I suppose that's because I've spent some time with him. And he's your best friend. I trust your judgement."

"But not with Hans?"

"I haven't really gotten to know Hans, that's all." Elsa swallowed hard as she considered her next sentence, considered if she really wanted to do this. One look at Anna strengthened her resolve. "But I would be willing to, if you wanted."

Anna gasped. "Really?"

Elsa bit her lip and smiled. It felt a little more like a grimace, but Anna didn't seem to notice. "Really."

And as the pair continued to skate, with Anna talking about possible ways that Elsa could get to know Hans, Elsa found herself at peace.

* * *

 **So, Elsa and Anna have reconciled! Yay!**

 **Next chapter, we'll get back to some Jelsa cuteness... and maybe some drama? LOL, who knows.**

 **Anyways, please follow, favorite, and review. Stay safe and healthy; wash your hands!**

 **Thanks for reading!  
**

 **~Isabelle**


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